Tag: aew: fight forever

AEW: Fight Forever might finally be coming out in March

If accurate, it means both AEW and WWE will have console games releasing the same month.

One of the great mysteries in pro wrestling over the past year or so might have just gotten the biggest clue yet to solve it. The AEW: Fight Forever release date may have been revealed. Possibly.

The launch date for AEW’s first console/PC video game has been the subject of rumors and speculation for months. Adding to the intrigue is that unlike many games that receive a date and then end up getting pushed back for any number of reasons, Fight Forever has only had broad launch windows: first late 2022, which has obviously come and gone, then even more ambiguously sometime this year.

At least one major retailer thinks that time is coming to an end soon. Best Buy has the game listed for a March 31 release for all platforms on its website right now. It’s worth noting that the game has been available for preorder for some time, so its status hasn’t changed in that regard.

That date hasn’t been confirmed as of yet by AEW or publisher THQ Nordic, but it’s reason for optimism for anyone hoping the game would finally see the light of day in the first half of 2023. If accurate, it would also add to the inevitable comparisons between Fight Forever and WWE 2K23, which launches in mid-March.

AEW: Fight Forever is looking to differentiate itself from WWE’s title in several ways. It’s been mentioned repeatedly during the development process that it’s not a “wrestling sim” and has a more arcade-influenced play style. The graphics aren’t going for photorealism either, but instead are a 21st century take on wrestling games from consoles of yesteryear.

We’ll have a review of AEW: Fight Forever here on Wrestling Junkie whenever it comes out. Here’s hoping Best Buy knows something and that we all get to play it as spring arrives.

The best tag team in the world won’t be in AEW Fight Forever

Top guys, out … of AEW Fight Forever, at least to start.

FTR might have tons of tag team gold to carry around at the moment, but they won’t be toting any of it to the ring when AEW’s upcoming video game, AEW Fight Forever, goes on sale.

Fightful Select reports that “Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler are not slated to be a part of the first version of the AEW Fight Forever game as of this moment.” It sounds as if the duo was also informed they won’t be in the game right away and that they “weren’t too happy about it” due to them missing out on the bonus money that comes with appearing in a video game.

On top of that, it’s simply a surprising omission since FTR has been on fire since arriving in AEW in the spring of 2020. They’ve cemented their status as one of the very best tag teams ever with a series of highly regarded matches, including two against the Briscoe Brothers, and currently hold three sets of championships: AAA, IWGP (from NJPW) and ROH.

Harwood has also gained a lot of buzz as a potential wrestler of the year nominee for his work in tag team and singles matches, so leaving him and Wheeler out is a legitimately puzzling move. One thought, though: Like most wrestling/sports games, AEW Fight Forever is expected to have post-launch downloadable content (DLC), and Tony Khan has spoken about the likelihood that more wrestlers will be added after launch.

With that being the case, it’s not hard to imagine FTR will be a priority for getting into the game down the road, and potentially even the centerpiece of one batch of DLC. Heck, you could do a whole set of different skins for Harwood and Wheeler just based on the various sweet t-shirts they’ve worn to the ring in AEW.

So in the end, yes, it’s a little strange that we’ll be firing up AEW Fight Forever sometime over the next six months or so (a release date hasn’t been announced yet) and FTR won’t be in the game, but smart money says they’ll make it in eventually.

AEW Fight Forever looks like WWF No Mercy made for modern consoles

See the latest AEW Fight Forever gameplay footage featuring Kenny Omega and Adam Cole.

If you’re a wrestling fan/gamer of a certain age, you probably have warm, fuzzy memories of the titles published by THQ back in the day. Anecdotally, this writer bought a Nintendo 64 specifically for WWF No Mercy, and played the heck out of it simply because it was so much fun.

AEW hasn’t shied away from the idea that its upcoming console game, AEW Fight Forever, is in that same vein — particularly since it’s published by THQ Nordic. And with Gamescom taking place this week in Germany, AEW Games showed off some footage (with some help from the Dark Order’s Evil Uno and Colt Cabana) that definitely reinforced that notion.

As you can see below, the footage features Kenny Omega and Adam Cole doing battle, complete with some signature moves for each wrestler.

There’s something about the way the wrestlers move that immediately calls to mind the classic wrestling games from the early 2000s. The graphical style is in that vein as well; even though it’s definitely several steps forward from the likes of No Mercy, it’s also not going for a certain aesthetic instead of precise photorealism.

AEW has invested heavily in AEW Fight Forever, and Omega has spent a lot of time working with the development team at Yuke’s since the game was first announced in November 2020. Starting a new gaming franchise of any kind can be an uphill battle, but this footage makes it look like the Fight Forever team is on the right track.

There’s still no set release date for AEW Fight Forever, though the expectations are that it will go live in late 2022 or early 2023. It will be available for current gen (PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch) and last gen (PS4, Xbox One) consoles, as well as PC.

AEW: Fight Forever gets teaser trailer, will be published by THQ Nordic

The AEW: Fight Forever video game received a teaser trailer and confirmed some additional details about the team behind it.

The AEW video game that has occupied much of the time of Kenny Omega is getting closer to being a reality.

AEW and developer Yuke’s released a teaser trailer today for the game, titled “AEW: Fight Forever,” along with confirmation that it would be published by THQ Nordic. The THQ brand has a long history with wrestling video games, going back to classics like WWF No Mercy for the Nintendo 64.

“One of the first things I did after signing with AEW was to ask Tony Khan to let me help assemble the best gaming team on the planet, to make the best wrestling game ever,” Omega said in a press release. “Well, we just landed the perfect finisher by partnering with global publishing and distribution powerhouse THQ Nordic for AEW: Fight Forever. The THQ brand has long been synonymous with wrestling games – there is simply no more qualified partner to bring AEW: Fight Forever to the millions of wrestling fans the world over.”

Image credit: All Elite Wrestling

“Kenny’s incredible vision for AEW: Fight Forever is informed by his wrestling pedigree both inside the ring and on the controller,” Executive Producer Reinhard Pollice, THQ Nordic, said in the release. “Combine that vision with YUKES’ unparalleled wrestling game development history is resulting in an AEW experience that draws heavily on the arcade feel that first won wrestling gamer hearts more than two decades ago.”

The companies also released a short teaser trailer for the game, which you can see below.

AEW: Fight Forever will release on both current and last-gen consoles, including PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S and Nintendo Switch, as well as PC. What hasn’t been revealed yet is the game’s release date; a Dec. 31, 2022 listing that has popped up over the past few weeks has been debunked as a placeholder for retailers.

In any case, fans of both AEW and video games in general will no doubt be glad about this biggest sign of forward momentum for Fight Forever to date. We’ll be keeping an eye on all news on features, the roster and its eventual release here on Wrestling Junkie.

AEW console game officially titled AEW Fight Forever, still looks pretty rough

Major WWE competitor and all-around wrestling superstar company All Elite Wrestling has finally revealed the official title of their upcoming console (and PC) game: AEW Fight Forever.

Major WWE competitor and all-around wrestling superstar company All Elite Wrestling has finally revealed the official title of their upcoming console (and PC) game: AEW Fight Forever. In development by Yuke’s, who previously put together many of the official WWE games, it’s been announced but nameless for a year or so. On a Twitch stream yesterday, the name and some new footage was revealed. Unfortunately, the game is still looking a little rough around the edges in the graphics and animation department.

You can see the new footage here.

For a wrestling game? Not too bad, seen worse. For a modern, relatively high budget title, that’s supposedly coming out in September? It’s all a bit 2015 in terms of texture quality, and alpha for animations.

Yuke’s doesn’t have the most incredible track record, working on the up-and-down WWE series games, sometimes more than one a year, from 2000 through 2019. Developing yearly titles is a challenge and WWE doesn’t exactly have the highest quality standards for, well, anything it does. Yuke’s also worked on a couple of Earth Defense Force games in 2020 and 2019, both of which were just about okay according to Metacritic and other aggregators.

A lot of extra time to develop Fight Forever, AEW’s strong gaming ties, and despite needing to create a new roster – perhaps I’m being unfair, but I expected more. If the gameplay is killer that’ll help a lot, but is it really going to be wholly different from the sandbox playground most people buying it are going to expect?

We’ll see in September, when Fight Forever is scheduled to launch. Recent reports from Sports Gamers Online suggest the relationship between the two companies may not continue.

Written by Ben Barrett on behalf of GLHF.

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