In the wrestling industry, there are two big “contenders” vying for audience attention. One is WWE, which has been around for decades, and the other is AEW, All Elite Wrestling, which recently celebrated five years on television. AEW went from the “plucky upstart” to the place “where the best wrestle” due to its commitment to great in-ring wrestling over other elements of “sports entertainment” that its rival does. Within its first five years it’s done many things, including working with Yuke’s to create AEW Fight Forever. This was the company’s first major wrestling video game, and while it had its ups and downs, many agree it was a solid first attempt for the company and something to build off of for the future.
In an interview with VGC, studio producer Takashi Takezawa talked about various elements of the game and its development process, including fan feedback:
“We’re getting a lot of great feedback from fans. They’re letting us know how they feel about the game. A lot of positive feedback, which we love, and a lot of constructive feedback, which we also love, so we know what areas to focus on in the future.”
That might sound obvious, but it’s a key thing that many are hoping for if AEW and Yuke’s do work together for a new game. Some foundational elements really made AEW Fight Forever stand out, and the teams behind it admitted that they wanted to recreate the “feeling” of the legendary WWE N64 games that many fondly remember.
In fact, it was AEW star Kenny Omega who noted that one of the games that Yuke’s made for WWE during that era was the baseline inspiration for what AEW’s title was aiming to be like, and Takezawa noted that this helped guide them while also attempting to do something special:
“It did also help us to set a high goal and really aim to do something special. And you know, just being able to be compared to something of that level, and then to aim for something like that, was a great honour for us and a great challenge.”
Takezawa had numerous compliments to give to Kenny Omega and AEW as a whole, and that makes it interesting to think about the potential future with all involved. There are rumors of “friction” between both sides and that AEW might go a different direction for its next video game title. Only time will tell if that’s true.
