WWE 2K Series Is Skipping 2020 To Come Back Stronger, 2K Says

As suspected, the WWE 2K simulation series is taking a year off. 2K Sports officially confirmed on Monday that there will be no new WWE 2K game this year--what presumably would have been WWE 2K21--though there is a new arcade-style game called WWE 2K Battlegrounds coming this fall.

2019's WWE 2K20 was very poorly received--GameSpot's review scored it a 2/10. It was the first WWE game developed by Visual Concepts after 2K split with series developer Yuke's, and it left much to be desired. In response to this feedback, 2K Sports is giving the developers more time to work on the next instalment.

"We hear you and we know you want more from the franchise, so here's what we’re going to do: we are applying what we've learned to the next WWE 2K simulation game with a renewed focus on quality and fun," 2K said in a statement. "We want to ensure the development team at Visual Concepts can create a great game that will entertain grizzled WWE 2K veterans, as well as newcomers who want to climb through the ropes and step into the ring for the very first time."

The publisher also confirmed that it has hired gaming industry veteran Patrick Gilmore to head up the new WWE 2K simulation game for Visual Concepts. Gilmore comes to Visual Concepts from Amazon, where he was the studio head for the company's office in Orange County that is working on the MMO New World. Gilmore will share more details on the new WWE 2K game in the months ahead.

"We hope you find this news as exciting as we do. We are confident it will lead to better games in the future," 2K said about the changes.

With the mainline WWE 2K series skipping a 2020 release, that would likely mean the next instalment will have versions for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X, both of which are scheduled to release later this year.

As for the arcade-style WWE game, WWE 2K Battlegrounds is set for release this fall on unspecified platforms. The game, which is developed by NBA 2K Playgrounds developer Saber Interactive, is going for an over-the-top approach for character design and gameplay.