In just two years, AEW has cemented itself as a legitimate competitor to WWE in the pro wrestling industry. Not only that, but it has generated a level of buzz not seen since the late 90s. To capitalise on the success of AEW’s hugely successful television shows – Dynamite and Rampage – the company are also working on an AEW video game. And it looks set to challenge WWE’s 2K series as the king of wrestling video games.
It’s fair to say that an AEW video game will have to deliver a fantastically fun and original experience to knock WWE off its perch. After all, WWE 2K has been literally the only mainstream wrestling video game series for over a decade. The last attempt by a rival promotion was TNA with their so-so TNA Impact! game in 2008. Since then, there’s been no other choice for wrestling game fans who are tired of WWE’s yearly outings.
Luckily for the AEW video game, the WWE 2K series hasn’t always been perfect (or even good). So, there’s a lot they can learn from WWE’s past mistakes. Likewise, there’s also been some phenomenal wrestling games in the past like WWF No Mercy and SmackDown! Here Comes The Pain that could prove to be vital sources of inspiration for AEW when creating a great game.
With that being said, what do we know about the AEW video game so far and what can fans look forward to?
AEW Game Release Date
The AEW video game’s release date is targeted for 2022, as confirmed by current AEW World Champion Kenny Omega on Wrestling Observer Radio back in July.
Omega said, “So far, so good, but it’s going to be a process, and I’ve said this before, but it’s not something that we’re rushing. We do plan to hopefully get it out by next year [2022]. But (we) can’t commit to a solid date just in case.”
AEW’s game was revealed back in November 2020. And from that, we know it has been in development for well over a year at this point. With that in mind, 2022 does seem optimistic especially considering AEW’s ever-growing roster. However, Yukes – the developer behind the AEW game – were responsible for many WWE games of the past. So, it goes without saying they have some experience in the field.
For fans asking “when is the AEW game coming out?”, we’d say late 2022 is probably a safe bet.
AEW Video Game Trailer
Despite release being a ways off, AEW has already treated us to three trailers (or, more accurately, “sneak peeks”) for the upcoming console game.
The first one accompanied the game’s initial announcement back in November 2020. It features Kenny Omega taking on Chris Jericho in a 1v1 match with a surprise appearance by former Women’s World Champion Hikaru Shida. Reactions were overwhelmingly positive with the YouTube version of the trailer showing 3.1k likes vs 76 dislikes. The graphics and animations weren’t great, but this was a very early build of the game and things are looking better in the more recent trailers.
Next up, we got a sneak peek at AEW breakout star Darby Allin in the AEW video game. This trailer showed the wrestler models looking more realistic and less cartoony than they did originally.
Lastly, and most recently, the third trailer showed us Jungle Boy in action against Darby Allin. It was great to see two AEW original stars facing off in the game and it showed more positive progress with the graphics.
Gameplay
The three trailers have shown us brief gameplay of the AEW video game. From them, we can deduce a few cool facts about how the game plays and its features.
Firstly, the initial announcement trailer shows a standard 1v1 men’s singles match. That match type is a given for any wrestling game. But it also shows Hikaru Shida attacking Kenny Omega. Now, it could’ve been done purely for shock value. But it seems like we could be able to play intergender matches, too.
The second trailer shows off some of Darby Allin’s incredible offence, including springboard moves off the ropes, fighting around ringside, and interacting with the ring itself. All of this indicates AEW are committed to replicating the vast move-sets and fighting styles of its stars.
The third trailer showed off more gameplay in which Jungle Boy delivers springboard grapples, reversals, offence from the turnbuckle, Irish whips, and submissions. Admittedly, It might seem like fairly standard stuff to those who’ve been playing wrestling games for years. But it’s great to see all this being built from the ground up for the new AEW video game.
AEW Video Game Roster
AEW wrestlers confirmed for the game’s roster so far are:
- Chris Jericho
- Kenny Omega
- Hikaru Shida
- Darby Allin
- Jungle Boy
The AEW game roster is shaping up to be seriously stacked. With the recent debuts of CM Punk, Adam Cole and Bryan Danielson, as well as the rest of the massive AEW roster, the game is going to have no shortage of stars for gamers to have fun with.
According to Kenny Omega on Wrestling Observer Radio: “We’re starting to work on some more of the character models, and not many of them are 100% complete”. So, it’s likely we’ll only see more of the roster as models are finished – which may take a while. But we’re excited to see more once everything is ready.
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There’s lots of information still to come about the AEW video game. So, we’ll be sure to keep this page updated with all the juicy details. Make sure you check back over the coming months to find out more. We can’t wait to see what’s in store!
Are you excited for the AEW video game? Let us know in the comment section below and don’t forget to check out our other gaming articles…
