Dozens of new details on WWE 2K17 were published on Friday, days after the second of five planned roster reveals, and it sounds like we can expect sweeping changes to many aspects of the series’ core gameplay when WWE 2K17 hits current and last-gen consoles in October.
Prior to this week, we hadn’t heard much about WWE 2K17. That shouldn’t come as a shock to any longtime fans, given how quiet 2K (and THQ before them) have traditionally been about each new WWE game. But the publisher is finally opening up about the changes it has planned for the moment-to-moment gameplay in WWE 2K17. We’re also getting our first insight on how this year’s wrestling game will set itself apart from recent predecessors.
“Fans have been asking us to truly improve the core gameplay experience since we inherited the brand, and we are taking your requests seriously – from controls to presentation to individual features,” 2K wrote. “We’ve shifted the gameplay experience focus from an arcade-centric, fighting game style to simulation-based gameplay, and WWE 2K17 continues pushing in that direction with both improved and new gameplay mechanics.”
The next entry in the series will finally let the action spill out into the crowd again, along with select backstage areas, giving fans more options when trying to create classic matches with their favorite wrestlers. WWE 2K17 will also feature new ladder and taunt mechanics , along with a brand new secondary submission system. The publisher is also promising “thousands” of new animations. In a first for the series, players can use footage from their own matches to build new Titantron videos for their created wrestlers.
Best of all, 2K Showcase is finally being retired (at least for this year’s entry) in favor of renewed focus on the game’s MyCareer and WWE Universe modes. The game is getting a new “Promo engine,” designed to let players “express themselves to the WWE Universe and also call out or respond to other WWE Superstars.” The renewed emphasis on out-of-ring combat also means your backstage interviews with Renee Young will be interrupted on occasion.
WWE 2K17 is in development for PlayStation 3, PS4, Xbox 360 and Xbox One. The game debuts Oct. 11.
Be sure to check back with iDigitalTimes.com and follow Scott on Twitter for more WWE 2K17 news throughout 2016 and however long 2K supports WWE 2K17 after launch.
