WWE 2K Battlegrounds

WWE 2K Battlegrounds is a professional wrestling video game developed by Saber Interactive and published by 2K Sports. It was released on September 18, 2020 in lieu of 2K's normal yearly WWE game, which was cancelled due to development troubles and backlash from the previously released WWE 2K20.

Not to be confused with WWE Battleground.

WWE 2K Battlegrounds
Cover art featuring various wrestlers
Developer(s)Saber Interactive
Publisher(s)2K Sports
SeriesWWE 2K
EngineUnreal Engine 4
Platform(s)
ReleaseSeptember 18, 2020
Genre(s)Sports
Mode(s)Single-player, Multiplayer

Much like Saber's NBA Playgrounds, Battlegrounds is more of a fast-paced, arcade-style fighting game than the more realistic main entries to the WWE 2K series. Its fighting style has been compared to WWE All Stars (2011).[1]

The game released to mixed reviews, with critics praising the art style and co-operative gameplay modes, but criticizing the use of microtransactions and lack of gameplay features. Overall, it is seen as an improvement over its predecessor.

Development

WWE 2K Battlegrounds was developed in the aftermath of the poor reception of 2019's WWE 2K20, which was criticized for its graphics, gameplay and various glitches.[2][3][4][5][6] Months after the maligned release of WWE 2K20, rumors emerged that 2K's next WWE title would be entirely different from the rest of the yearly WWE 2K series.[7]

On April 27, 2020, 2K officially announced WWE 2K Battlegrounds as a spin-off to the series, while also announcing that video game industry veteran Patrick Gilmore would be the new game's executive producer.[8] The trailer featured John Cena, The Rock, Becky Lynch, Charlotte Flair and Stone Cold Steve Austin.[9] On May 4, 2020, an ESRB Rating confirmed that 2K Battlegrounds would be released on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch (the first WWE game to be released on Switch since 2K18) and would be the first WWE game to release on Stadia, but 2K have yet to confirm this.[10] On August 16, IGN revealed the game's entire roster, with superstars like Hulk Hogan, Jake "The Snake" Roberts, and "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt appearing in the base game, and additional superstars including Doink the Clown, The Boogeyman, Earthquake, and Typhoon announced to arrive as free, unlockable content in the months following the game's release. Later, it was announced that the characters could also be unlocked via microtransactions, like many other unlockables in the game.

On November 23, WWE 2K revealed that Wrestlemania 36 host and tight end of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Rob "Gronkster" Gronkowski, and NBA 2K21 current gen cover star and point guard of the Portland Trail Blazers, Damian "Laheem" Lillard, would be available as playable characters the following day and December 2, respectively.

Reception

The Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions of WWE 2K Battlegrounds received "mixed or average reviews" according to review aggregator website Metacritic.[11][12][13] Hyper Sauce of GamesRadar+ criticized the game's reliance on microtransactions, and stated that WWE video games had reached "its rock bottom".[15] Destructoid opined that it was "a game nobody will remember a year from now."[14] Writing for Nintendo Life, Chris Scullion denounced the game for being a grind and having limited replayability outside of the campaign mode, but did offer some praise to the co-op mode.[18]

In a slightly more positive review for Hardcore Gamer, Cory Wells appreciated the game's lower retail price point and ability to played as a party game, but agreed that micro-transactions and the lack of playable characters on offer tainted the experience.[16] For IGN, Mitchell Saltzman commented that although the game was better than its predecessor, it was "nonetheless another in a growing series of misses for WWE video games."[17]

References
  1. "WWE 2K Battlegrounds: The Spiritual Successor to WWE All Stars?". IGN.
  2. "This Is Not How Wrestling Ring Ropes Work, WWE 2K20 [Update]". Deadspin.
  3. Martin, Liam (October 21, 2019). "WWE 2K20 REVIEW: Terrible news for fans ahead of PS4, Xbox release date". Express.co.uk.
  4. Square, Push (October 22, 2019). "WWE 2K20 Is an Astoundingly Buggy Mess on PS4". Push Square.
  5. Mansoor, Saqib (January 1, 2020). "WWE 2K20 Refuses To Run In 2020". SegmentNext. Retrieved January 1, 2020.
  6. "#FixWWE2K20 Campaign Trending on Social Media Following Buggy Launch". IGN. Retrieved April 27, 2020.
  7. "WWE 2K21 reportedly cancelled in favour of new game".
  8. "WWE 2K Battlegrounds to Lead the Charge into the Future of 2K's WWE Game Experiences". WWE2K. April 27, 2020. Retrieved May 19, 2020.
  9. Yin-Poole, Wesley (April 27, 2020). "2K announces arcade-style WWE 2K Battlegrounds, addresses sim series concern". Eurogamer. Retrieved June 14, 2020.
  10. "411MANIA". WWE 2K Battlegrounds Rated T For Teen, Coming To Nintendo Switch and Google Stadia. Retrieved May 19, 2020.
  11. "WWE 2K Battlegrounds for Switch Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved October 2, 2020.
  12. "WWE 2K Battlegrounds for PlayStation 4 Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved October 2, 2020.
  13. "WWE 2K Battlegrounds for Xbox One Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved September 28, 2020.
  14. Roemer, Dan (September 22, 2020). "Review: WWE 2K Battlegrounds". Destructoid. Enthusiast Gaming. Retrieved September 26, 2020.
  15. "WWE 2K BATTLEGROUNDS REVIEW: "A BRAND THAT'S REACHED ITS ROCK BOTTOM"".
  16. Wells, Cory (September 22, 2020). "Review: WWE 2K Battlegrounds". Hardcore Gamer. Retrieved September 26, 2020.
  17. "WWE 2K Battlegrounds Review". IGN. Ziff Davis. September 22, 2020. Retrieved September 26, 2020.
  18. Scullion, Chris (September 22, 2020). "WWE 2K Battlegrounds Review (Switch)". Nintendo Life. Gamer Network. Retrieved September 26, 2020.
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