AEW Fight Forever Team Thought Game Wasn't Ready When Launched
AEW Fight Forever was released with 'careless' issues after going well over its intended budget, sources from within the game's production have revealed.
Fight Forever, AEW's first foray into the world of console gaming, hit shelves in June 2023 after experiencing significant delays to its release. The game received mixed reviews at launch with numerous glitches and error codes frustrating gamers. While the arcade style was praised, the shallow customization options were critiqued as was the small roster compared to other wrestling titles.
Those within AEW and game developer Yuke's believe the game should not have been announced as early as it was, Insider Gaming reports. As one source still attached to the game said, the early announcement led to long delays between updates, which led to mistakes being made.
"The longer we went without updating people, the more pressure we felt which led to, for some people, carelessness with what was being done."
Those working on the game did not feel the title was ready when it was released last June. Explaining the decision to release the game, another source said that the pressure was insurmountable as the costs continued to rise.
“They (AEW) knew they were going to lose money on this game. But there was a lot of pressure to make money back solely because of how overbudget the game went.”
Another source added that releasing the game when it did was an effort to "recoup" money from development. The budget fell between 1.5 to two times the original expected cost of development. The issues upon launch were addressed on Twitter by AEW EVP/Fight Forever development lead Kenny Omega.
Nearly a year on from AEW Fight Forever, there's been no word on a sequel game, with AEW instead using sporadic DLC updates. As a source explained, it's unclear what the future holds for Fight Forever once Yuke's contracted work on the game is complete.
"We know AEW wants a second game to be made, but as far as who will make it, that’s completely up in the air. Them (AEW) owning the game engine puts the ball in their court."
One feature fans were excited to hear about was cross-platform play though that has yet to be implemented. A source working on the game said that testing of the feature produced too many issues and there are plans to revisit the idea down the line. When asked what 'down the line' means, they said "Your guess is as good as anyone."
AEW's first console video game was not the hit many hoped it to be, especially compared to WWE 2K23 which was released mere months before Fight Forever. It remains to be seen if AEW will release a second game and if so, what lessons they'll take from Fight Forever.
