WWE 2K Battlegrounds is a professional wrestlingvideo 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 both the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the negative reception surrounding 2K’s previous WWE title, WWE 2K20 (2019). 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). 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.
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.[1][2][3][4][5] 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.[6]
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.[7] The trailer featured John Cena, The Rock, Becky Lynch, Charlotte Flair and Stone Cold Steve Austin.[8] 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.[9] 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 Rob Gronkowski and Damian Lillard would be available as playable characters the following day and December 2, respectively.
The Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions of WWE 2K Battlegrounds received “mixed or average reviews” according to review aggregator website Metacritic.[10][11][12] Mark Delaney of GamesRadar+ criticized the game’s reliance on microtransactions, and stated that WWE video games had reached “its rock bottom”.[14]Destructoid opined that it was “a game nobody will remember a year from now.”[13] 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.[17]
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.[15] 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.”
