WWE 2K23 is a 2023 professional wrestling sports video game developed by Visual Concepts and published by 2K. It is the twenty-third overall installment of the video game series based on WWE, the tenth game under the WWE 2K banner, and the successor to WWE 2K22. The game was released on March 17, 2023, for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S. Like the previous game, WWE 2K23 features a hybrid of arcade and simulation gameplay.[3][4] WarGames is featured for the first time in a WWE 2K game, and the Royal Rumble match now supports online multiplayer with up to eight players. Game modes such as MyFACTION, MyGM, Showcase, Universe, career mode MyRISE and a full creation suite return with new features. Showcase features cover star John Cena and allows players to recreate key moments in Cena’s career.
Gameplay
John Cena stars in all three versions of the cover.
MyRISE features two distinct storylines: “The Lock” for male created superstars, and “The Legacy” for female created superstars.
Development
According to Creative Director Lynell Jinks, the WarGames match type began development prior to WWE 2K22, and was made possible by the reworked engine following the failure of WWE 2K20.[9]
Developer Andrea Listenberger told Fightful that the two storylines written in MyRISE were written by former WWE writers.[10] The Lock follows a player-created male athlete-turned-wrestler making his debut on the WWE main roster. The Legacy follows a female second-generation wrestler rising through the ranks, aided by her aunt’s rival Molly Holly.[11]
On February 15, 2023, 2K released entrance footage of returning character Lita, which caused controversy on social media. Fans were critical of Lita’s character model, citing a perceived lack of quality and the reuse of an attire which had been used from WWE 2K16 in 2015 to WWE 2K20 in 2019.[12] Lita’s model received alterations to the face prior to the release of the game.[13]
Lita ’06 became a playable character as an answer to the criticism for the base model; an alternative attire is also available.
Release
On January 23, 2023, WWE 2K23 was officially announced with John Cena as the cover star. Bad Bunny was also announced as a playable character for players that pre-order the game, or purchase the Deluxe or Icon editions.[14]
On January 30, 2K Games released behind-the-scenes footage of Cody Rhodes being scanned, who makes his first appearance under this name since the 2014 game WWE 2K15 following his return at WrestleMania 38.[15]
The Deluxe Edition includes a season pass for future downloadable content, MyFACTION bonuses, and three days of early access on March 14. The Icon Edition features all Deluxe Edition content, as well as the “Ruthless Aggression Pack” which contains: classic versions of John Cena, Randy Orton, Brock Lesnar and Batista, the WrestleMania 22 arena, additional MyFACTION bonuses, and the John Cena Legacy Championship.[16]
IGN noted greater flexibility and creativity in the game compared to its predecessors. the return of the instant recovery feature was praised. IGN also noted that MyRise mode, is split into two separate stories “The Lock” and “The Legacy”. The game also gives a great deal of creativity to players to modify the contents including match variations such as diversified kinds of steel cage match among others.[17]
On March 6, 2023, the downloadable content for the game was announced. Five content packs containing 24 playable characters will be released from April to August, including superstars from Raw, SmackDown, NXT and Legends.[18] These characters include: Bray Wyatt, Wade Barrett, Eve Torres, Zeus, Harley Race, the Steiner Brothers, Pretty Deadly and Hit Row among others.