A hot new tag team
Following years spent as a THQ brand, WWE and its cavalcade of professional wrestlers got a new home last year under the 2K Sports banner. And 2014s entry is also looking to reap the benefits of having new stablemates, from Visual Concepts in particular, the developers behind the lauded NBA 2K series. Visual Concepts is working with longtime WWE dev Yukes to take WWE 2K15 into the next generation. And while there wasnt much to show for the game at E3, what is there looks to be getting a massive upgrade.
After briefly confirming a small chunk of the roster--icons like John Cena (now officially the game's box art star) and Hulk Hogan along with rising stars like Bray Wyatt and Cesaro--the devs went into how they were improving the franchise. I got to see multiple shots of the wrestlers new character models, all of which benefitted from the same body scanning tech Visual Concepts uses so well in NBA 2K. John Cenas facial features and skin tone looked more realistic than ever, right down to the very specific texture of his forehead. It makes you wonder what how good Daniel Bryans beard will look on the PS4 and Xbox One.
The limited showing of the game ended with a taste of the commentary, which is getting a similar upgrade to match its basketball counterpart. WWE personalities Jerry Lawler and Michael Cole recorded their commentary in tandem (just like NBA 2Ks narrators), making for more natural exchanges between the two that adds more reality to the unreal sport. These glimpses of the future of sports entertainment make WWEs digital future seem bright, though I can only hope that it all comes together when 2K eventually decides to show off actual gameplay. Given that WWE 2K15 is out in late October, we should be seeing the full game sooner rather than later.
Check out the following screenshots for additional info!
Hulk Hogan is in it. Because Hulk Hogan HAS to be in it
Good to see him confirmed, because Cesaro's uppercuts are basically Street Fighter moves
Don't worry kids, Super Cena is actually in the game too. Which is good, because otherwise that cover would make no sense at all
The game better feature Bray's campfire song taunts
Who wants to bet that Roman Reigns will be champ by the time the game is released?
No gameplay shots yet, but here's Lawler and Cole recording the commentary together