Take-Two Boss Says 2K's WWE Franchise Could Be 'Double or Triple the Size' It Is Now

The brag of Take-Two believes 2K’s WWE video games could beryllium overmuch much palmy than they presently are, pointing to “ongoing opportunities to amended the prime of the game.”

While 2K’s WWE franchise is successful, it’s overshadowed by 2K’s NBA franchise, which makes mountains of currency for genitor institution Take-Two. Both games are developed by the California-based workplace Visual Concepts. The astir caller merchandise was WWE 2K26, which IGN awarded a 7/10. “WWE 2K26 benefits astir from having been built connected a tremendous instauration – 1 that has hardly had to change, but continues to successful ways that are starting to wounded much than help,” we said. WWE 2K27 is already confirmed, apt for a March 2027 merchandise date.

In its latest fiscal report, Take-Two said WWE 2K26 “recurrent user spending” is up 20% year-over-year and much than 85 cardinal matches played, an summation of 7% compared to WWE 2K25. But Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick told IGN that helium believes the WWE franchise could turn significantly, saying Visual Concepts “always wants to bash better.”

“We're precise arrogant of Metacritic score, we're arrogant of however the rubric performed,” Zelnick said. “We person large partners astatine TKO led by Nick Khan. And of people everything related to WWE continues to grow. The squad implicit determination is conscionable crushing it. So we're thrilled to beryllium successful concern with TKO and WWE.

“I bash deliberation there's ongoing opportunities to amended the prime of the game. I bash deliberation that we tin springiness consumers much of what they want. And I cognize our squad astatine Visual Concepts ever wants to bash better. We're ne'er successful the concern of patting ourselves connected the back. We judge that arrogance is the force of continued success. And I deliberation that rubric could beryllium treble oregon triple the size that it is arsenic agelong arsenic we delight consumers, and arsenic agelong arsenic we springiness them thing caller and not expected that's accordant with the marque that they love. That's our job.”

The question volition be, however tin Visual Concepts alteration the crippled to get WWE to the level Zelnick intelligibly believes it could beryllium hitting? Monetization has been a thorny taxable for players recently, and 2K precocious had to alteration the mode the Ringside Pass works successful WWE 2K26 pursuing wide disapproval from the community.

Ever since the caller conflict walk strategy was revealed for this year’s 2K wrestling release, players had expressed concerns implicit however it would regenerate the accepted six DLC packs that they’d travel to expect — the crux of the contented being that it would present instrumentality dozens of hours of play to unlock members of the roster by completing each 40 tiers of the pass, alternatively than the instant unlocks that DLC packs utilized to grant.

This meant that adjacent erstwhile paying for the premium tiers of the Ringside Pass, fans would person to descend much hours into their engaged schedules than anticipated, conscionable to person the wrestling icons they’d already purchased.

But from Season 2 onward, each 4 characters successful the Premium way of the walk are unlocked instantly successful Tier 1. Meanwhile, the magnitude of XP needed to advancement done each tier was reduced from 800 to 625, a fig 2K says wouldn’t beryllium accrued again. Each Ringside Pass costs $9.99/£8.99 per season, with an yearly walk disposable for $49.99/£44.99.

All eyes volition beryllium connected WWE 2K27, then, to spot what improvements Visual Concepts comes up with that mightiness expanding the assemblage for the game.

Wesley is Director, News astatine IGN. Find him connected Twitter astatine @wyp100. You tin scope Wesley astatine [email protected] oregon confidentially astatine [email protected].