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A former writer for 2K’s wrestling franchise WWE has reported that the publisher will not be releasing a WWE game this year.
Though typically released annually, Justin Leeper reports that “there will be no game this year”, stating that he has “heard from reliable sources” and “truly believe[s] that WWE 2K21 has been cancelled”.
Despite having done so for many years, this year’s WrestleMania event did not include a teaser promotion of the next iteration of the annual game series, and last year, WWE developer Yuke’s announced it was developing a new wrestling IP in order to provide healthy “internal” competition for its own WWE franchise.
With added complications and delays brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, Leeper believes “there will be no WWE 2K21”.
“I’ve been waiting for 2K to announce this, but they haven’t. Strange, as usually announcements come at WrestleMania time, and I heard this from reliable sources well before WM36,” Leeper writes in his video description (thanks, GI.biz). “So – like with the mass exodus at 2K and the fact that 2K20 was built on 2K18 – it falls on me to tell you what I have heard and what I think you should know: There will be no WWE 2K21. But another game is coming.
“I have heard also that there is another WWE game this year, that 2K is publishing a different kind of WWE game from a different kind of developer that’s not Visual Concepts,” he added.
“I could say more on that, but I won’t because I’ve already probably pissed off a lot of people at 2K.”
2K Games has yet to respond publicly to requests for comment.
2K recently revealed that the name of its new Silicon Valley studio is 31st Union.
Former Electronic Arts and Activision executive Michael Condrey joined 2K to lead its new Silicon Valley studio as president a year ago. Alongside revealing its new facility in Silicon Valley, along with the company’s branding and “core values commitment”, the studio also announced it is already looking to expand internationally, beginning with a new studio in Spain.
2K says 31st Union is the fourth 2K-owned game development studio to expand with multiple locations. Others multi-location studios include Cloud Chamber, Hangar 13, and Visual Concepts, but did not elaborate on what project 31st Union is currently working on.
