Japanese developers Yuke's have exclusively revealed to gamesradar.com that they're currently working on the sixth instalment of famed wrestling series WWE SmackDown! for PS2. While they have yet to confirm any details on the game, it's widely expected that it will offer some form of online play and that it will be released in mid-November.

In a brief statement, Yuke's executive product director Hiromi Furuta said, "I'm still working on the SmackDown! series but I am afraid that I can't tell you what its new features are. I am confident that SmackDown! 6 will be a success."

The fifth SmackDown! game - subtitled Here Comes The Pain - was released last year to consistently positive reviews, largely thanks to the game's improved control system and refined career mode.

The Yokohama-based Yuke's, who are widely regarded as the world's premier grapple-game coders, are also currently developing a female wrestling game for Konami, called WWX: Rumble Rose, which is also due out for PS2 later this year.