For many,WWE 2K20is a blight on the franchise record best disregarded and completely forgotten about, asWWE 2K20released in a completely broken state, but that doesn’t meanWWE 2K23and future games haven’t benefited from that. Indeed, because of its shortcomings, the franchise took a year off, went back to basics, and came back withWWE 2K22, which was much better received by fans. It serves as a great building block, not just forWWE 2K23but for future games in the franchise too.
However, there is one thing thatWWE 2K20did that set it apart from every 2KXX stylized game that came before it and, so far, after it. It put two stars on the cover, Roman Reigns and Becky Lynch. It was the first mainline game to feature multiple cover stars sinceWWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2011, and it was the first to feature a female performer on the cover since Torrie Wilson appeared on WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2007(alongside Triple H, Rey Mysterio, John Cena, and Batista). There are a few benefits and options if future games afterWWE 2K23would shine the light on more than one superstar at a time.
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WWE 2K Games Need More Cover Stars for Better Representation
WhileJohn Cena is certainly a welcomed cover star forWWE 2K23, it is the ninth cover he’s been on out of 24 games, including as the sole cover star forWWE 2K15. In fact, a couple of superstars have appeared on multiple game covers, includingWWE 2K22’s Rey Mysterio. Meanwhile, Roman Reigns has been one of the most applauded superstars of the past few years, and he’s only appeared once, onWWE 2K20. There’s little doubt that names and faces help sell copies of these games, but if anything, that seems like a call for more representation. That, at the same time, is not to sayWWE 2Kshould go back to the days whenSmackdown vs. Rawwould feature 5-6 superstars, but doing reasonably more could bode well for the franchise.
One could perhaps argue that the cover star benefits from the WWE 2K Showcase mode, limiting the selection, but that’s only half-true. Seeing the cover star in the Showcase mode is somewhat expected, but not every cover star has to be limited to this, either. Yes, John Cena and Rey Mysterio are the focus of their perspective Showcase modes, but theWWE 2K20Showcase focused on Lynch and the Four Horsewomen—Roman Reigns played no special role in the game outside of appearing on the cover. Indeed, forJohn Cena’s Showcase mode, fans don’t even play him but the opponents he lost to. This shows how Visual Concepts is willing to experiment with established game modes and the like, and multiple cover stars would benefit that as well.
How Future WWE 2K Games Could Work In More Cover Stars
While more cover stars would be a good thing, there is certainly a limit, meaning it should never be more than two or three. Loading the cover with superstars takes away that special feel allWWE 2Kcover stars deserve to have, but working with two or three gives some obvious avenues for implementation and experimentation. For example, if Visual Concepts wanted to put a male and female performer on the cover again, that still easily works. Perhaps one superstar would be likeBecky Lynchand feature heavily in the Showcase mode, while the other could perhaps have some influence in the MyRise Mode as a tutor for the players or a big goal.
If Visual Concepts went with three superstars, this could easily still work. Perhaps there could be two parallel Showcases where players take on two rivals, ending with a face-off between the two. As an example, it could feature commentary from The Undertaker and Brock Lesnar focusing on both superstar’s growth before Lesnar brokeThe Undertaker’s Wrestlemania streak, or it could go through the history of Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins' back-and-forth as early allies but later sworn enemies. Meanwhile, the third character could take on that mentor or rival role in MyRise, but the inverse could also be true. One superstar could be the focus of the Showcase mode, while two other superstars played some role in the narratives presented in MyRise.
The three, if done this way, wouldn’t even have to be on the cover at the same time. In the past,WWEgames have had special editions that had different cover stars, and doing that more in the future would once again use more faces and names to sell copies. And however it was done, it would raise the bar for theWWE 2KShowcase mode, the MyRise mode, and more, however they were all worked in. John Cena’s Showcase shows how experimentation there could be fun, while including bigger names inMyRise mode could naturally help give players better storylinesfor their characters.
WWE 2K20may not have hit the heights fans wanted it to, but its lows sawWWE 2Kcome back even stronger. Therefore, it may be worth revisiting its high point in future iterations of the franchise.
WWE 2K23launches March 17 for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
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