The WWE 2K series is about to get some competition. All Elite Wrestling is a fairly new pro wrestling promotion that has only been around for a few years, but it has done an excellent job of offering compelling storylines and matches thanks to smart booking and its varied roster. The promotion’s first console game, AEW: Fight Forever, is in development by longtime WWE studio Yuke’s, which parted ways with 2K in 2018.
Though Fight Forever still needs some work before launch, it’s gearing up to be an interesting take on the pro wrestling formula with arcade action at the forefront. Here’s what we know about AEW: Fight Forever, including details about its potential release window, trailers, and more.
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Release date
AEW: Fight Forever apparently needs more time to cook. The title has been delayed multiple times. It should be slated to come out sometime in 2023 if there are no further issues with development.
Platforms
The game is set to launch for PC, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch. The main idea is to bring it to as many platforms as possible to reach a wide audience, especially since current-gen systems — PS5 and Xbox Series X/S — are difficult to find.
Trailer
A few videos of AEW: Fight Forever surfaced after its announcement a few years ago, but the first official trailer was revealed during Gamescom 2022. It features commentator Tony Schiavone and former women’s champion Dr. Britt Baker, D.M.D, who showcase the game in a comedic way. The trailer corresponds to the game’s tone, because unlike the WWE 2K games, Fight Forever will be a little sillier, with less of an emphasis on simulation.
Gameplay
As detailed in a Gamescom 2022 gameplay video, Fight Forever seems like it’ll include a familiar grapple system that’s reminiscent of older WWE games. You’ll have various grapple types bound to tilting the analog stick while pressing buttons, giving each character a slew of different moves in their arsenal. This is different from the combo system featured in the new WWE 2K22 game.
Aside from that, expect a variety of match types from singles competitions to more chaotic bouts like Unsanctioned Lights-Out. When compared to WWE 2K22, Fight Forever will have fewer match types, but hopefully, that doesn’t take away from the fun.
These are the confirmed match types:
Match types
- Single Matches
- Tag-Team
- 3-Way
- 4-Way
- Ladder Matches
- Casino Battle Royale
- Falls Count Anywhere
- Unsanctioned Lights-Out (allows the use of weapons)
- Exploding Barbed Wire Death Matches
Roster
The full AEW: Fight Forever roster hasn’t been revealed, but we do know top talent like CM Punk, Jade Cargill, Jon Moxley, and Kenny Omega will be featured. The Gamescom demo also featured Paul Wight and Hikaru Shida. However, some notable wrestlers such as Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler of FTR will not make an appearance, which is certainly disappointing.
Modes
Fight Forever will include a Career Mode, create-a-wrestler, and even mini-games, offering a bit of wackiness that gives it an arcade feel. It seems developer Yuke’s wants to create something akin to older WWF games such as No Mercy on Nintendo 64. Considering the promotion doesn’t have the budget of the WWE 2K games, AEW is, instead, doing something different, rather than also trying to compete as a simulation pro wrestling game.
Future updates
Kenny Omega, vice president of AEW, mentioned that Fight Forever will supposedly include updates after launch. It’s unclear if the promotion plans on releasing annual video game installments, but our guess is that Fight Forever will simply include DLC updates for the foreseeable future, rather than producing entirely new games.
In regard to future updates, Omega said:
As great as it is on launch, as our roster grows — let’s say we add a pay-per-view name, add a new arena, let’s say we sign whoever, anybody — we want to be able to support those new additions as well … Hopefully the new additions/updates will be really prompt. That’s the plan anyway! So everyone can feel up to date with our roster, and how AEW grows.
Releasing annualized video game installments isn’t sustainable for most studios, but perhaps the developer will release a new AEW game every few years.
Multiplayer
Fight Forever will support local and online multiplayer, with several different match types available. Expect tag team matches, Casino Battle Royales, and a slew of others — all of which can be played solo or with/against other players. Interestingly, the game’s PSN listing says it supports up to 30 players online, but it’s unclear if this is true, and if so, how the modes will work with that many players.
Pre-order
Despite not having an official release date, AEW: Fight Forever is available to pre-order across all platforms now. On the game’s website, it only lists a “standard edition,” implying there might be additional versions that will get announced later on.
For now, you can put money down towards the regular version for $60, but we’ll update this page if and when other editions are announced.
