Upcoming wrestling sim WWE 2K22 will feature virtual currency purchases – but they’ll be limited to a single game mode.
The brawler is 2K’s first since the disastrous WWE 2K20, and sees the series launch on PS5 and Xbox Series X in March 2022. A key element is the new single-player MyFaction mode, in which you compete to build a squad of past and present wrestlers in order to compete in weekly events. This will be the only area of the game to feature virtual currency micro-transactions, and developer Visual Concepts says all they will do is expedite the process of unlocking content.
“This all-new mode enables you to build a legendary crew that rivals the NWO, Hart Foundation, DX, Four Horsewomen, and New Day,” explains art producer Christina Diem Pham in our first-look WWE 2K22 preview. “MyFaction is the only mode in WWE 2K22 where purchasable VC comes into play. It’s super important to note that VC does not offer any sort of competitive advantage or put players in a pay-to-win situation. The items purchased with VC can also be purchased with MyFaction points earned via gameplay.”
Monetisation within sports games has become a contentious topic given the ongoing profitability of EA’s Ultimate Team modes. Across FIFA, Madden and NHL, the software giant made $1.62 billion over the last fiscal year, but it’s been accused of promoting gambling and pay-to-win shortcuts in the process.
Earlier this year EA introduced ‘Preview Packs’ in FIFA 21, in order to reduce claims of the mode being a lottery. These packs returned in FIFA 22. All of which explains 2K aiming to distance itself from similar accusations, despite WWE 2K22’s release being another four months away.
MyFaction’s means of unlocking wrestlers – Roman Reigns, Becky Lynch, and Rey Mysterio are among those already confirmed for the WWE 2K22 roster – is yet to be revealed, with Visual Concepts promising more info early in 2022. However, it appears highly unlikely that it’ll mimic the randomization found within Ultimate Team, given the assurances provided by the studio.
Previous titles in 2K’s WWE series on PS4 and Xbox One have included paid-for content options such as immediately unlocking all wrestlers in the game and additional DLC characters. There’s no official word yet on whether these will return, though, clearly, such purchases don’t constitute gambling as you know exactly what you’re getting before purchase.
The upcoming sequel to WWE 2K20 will be Visual Concepts’ first sim wrestling game in two-and-a-half years, and one of two mainstream grap efforts released during the calendar year – with All Elite Wrestling also launching a console offering, developed by former WWE studio Yuke’s. Chris Jericho and CM Punk are among the famous names on the AEW roster.
WWE 2K22 is released on PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, and Xbox One in March 2022.
