THQ's former WWE video game franchise will officially be re-branded as a result of a five-year deal inked today by 2K Games and WWE. Although the intent to purchase was confirmed last week, the deal was agreed upon until day. Henceforth, the WWE game series will fly under the 2K Sports flagship. Parent company Take-Two has confirmed today, via ESPN, that WWE 2K14 is on track for a fall 2013 release.
“The WWE series is a great addition to our stable of triple-A titles, and we’re very happy with this exclusive agreement with our new partners,” said David Ismailer, Chief Operating Officer for 2K, in a press release sent to us today. “We look forward to capturing the excitement of WWE and marrying it with the same commitment to authenticity and entertainment that we give to our NBA 2K and MLB 2K franchises.”
Although 2K's baseball franchise hasn't exactly turned any heads of late, the company has seen tremendous success with its NBA 2K series. More than 15 million units of NBA 2K11, NBA 2K12 and NBA 2K13 have been sold to date worldwide. This year, in the first week of its release, NBA 2K13 sold 49 percent more copies in the same time frame than the franchise’s previous record-holder, NBA 2K11.
“The development work on the WWE franchise is impressive, and we’re excited to combine our background in developing the NBA 2K series with theirs in this new partnership,” added Greg Thomas, Executive Vice President of 2K Sports. “Fans can expect the most authentic WWE experience on game consoles this fall.”
2K Sports' Visual Concepts will work closely with some of the key designers behind the WWE franchise from THQ on the new title. Longtime WWE games developer Yukes will also be brought in.
WWE '13 received decent reception, scoring an 8/10 here on GameZone. Hopefully, 2K can improve upon the concepts introduced in the last installment and bring the series up to the standards set forth by NBA 2K13.
