WWE 2K23: Release is incoming and it appears ready to hit the ground running

WWE 2K23 is releasing in March, which is surprising because we have not heard more than Twitter rumors and casual updates.

It’s true, it’s true. WWE 2K23 has been working on its yearly installment and now it is days away from release. While 2K22 felt like a revolution to the genre, 2K23 is being presented like a new coat of paint update. Though WWE 2K23 will have some nifty bells and whistles.

While I was worried about AEW Fight Forever giving us a release date after months of silence (which they still haven’t announced), WWE 2K23 came out like a charging bull, announcing a March 14th date. The Twittersphere is hooked on the new MyFaction cards and ratings that will be assigned to wrestlers.

The same modes from the previous game are coming back: MyFaction, 2K Showcase, MyRise, MyUniverse along with the same microtransactions to get digital wrestling cards. New wrestlers will be making their way to the digital arena including Cody Rhodes, Bad Bunny (AKA the greatest wrestler to ever grace WWE besides Logan Paul), Bron Brekker, Molly Holly, Ezekial, Cora Jade, Lita, Jacy Jane, Veer Mahaan, Ridge Holland, Julius Creed, Grayson Waller, Brutus Creed, Nikki Bella, Noam Dar, and Kurt Angle.

If you want the Ruthless Aggression versions of Batista, Orton, Cena, and Lesnar you are going to have to invest in the DLC. Sad, but true, Bray Wyatt will also be a DLC, which means you won’t be able to relive those iconic Bray Wyatt and Kane SummerSlam ring of fire matches without some investment.

For those who cannot get enough wrestling in a cage, The Wargames match type is making its debut. To be honest, the NXT upgrades seem to be the most exciting and promising. No offense to Cody and Bray, but Grayson Waller versus Bron Brekker really slaps.

I am still surprised that the PS4 and Xbox One are going to get a version of this game. The load times were intolerable on the last gen hardware. This tells me that WWE 2K23 isn’t so much a leap ahead as it is a tiny jump.

John Cena made the cover for the year, which he hasn’t accomplished since 2K15. I guess they must have heard of his wonderful work on Furious 9 and DC’s Peacemaker.

Given the fact that AEW is still fumbling with their 2022 game, WWE knows this stings a little. My prediction for this game is that it will not stray far from how I experienced MyRise and MyFaction in the last iteration. On March 14th we will be able to see if WWE 2K23 has all the fun, excitement, and proper ratings for wrestlers (it is an outrage that Rey Misterio Jr. is only an 86). I take this like a new Madden game. It exists because it is a new year.