AEW Reportedly Not Happy With Fight Forever, Considering New Gaming Partner

Insider Gaming reports that AEW is “strongly considering” a new gaming partner after the release of AEW Fight Forever, which had multiple issues during development.

According to a source, AEW is aware that “things didn’t go the way they expected.” The game was said to be over budget and did not meet expectations, leading to the consideration of a new developer. The game arrived in June of last year to mixed reviews. The gameplay was praise but the lack of depth and bugs were noted as flaws. There was said to be pressure on the developers to “deliver something faster than what it should’ve been”.

AEW has yet to make a decision, although they have technically fulfilled their original contract with Yuke’s. That included one year of post-launch updates through four season passes with new wrestlers, moves, game modes and venues. The last one arrived in July and featured Jay White. There have been talks of additional packs with Will Ospreay, Kazuchika Okada and Mercedes Mone.

A source noted that “everything is on the table” in regards to AEW’s future in gaming. They noted: “There were some positives with the Yuke’s relationship, and some feel that with a foundation in place, another game could make things better rather than giving up after one attempt. But you can’t argue that there are concerns with how things went in the final year of the game’s development.”

The issues began before the game’s release, with conflict between the two sides, which also included EVP Kenny Omega. Omega allegedly was “hating” his time working with Yuke’s and others felt the company was trying to “take advantage” of his inexperience in game development.

The source added: “No one was really happy when the game came out. Even before launch, internal talks started about whether to continue with the game with Yuke’s, bring it over to a new developer and either build on what’s been done or start from scratch, or leave the console market and continue to focus on mobile. A lot of people in the company want another shot with a console game, but it only matters if the one signing the checks wants to trust them again.”

It was said that “no one knows” what will happen next. However, AEW owns the engine for Fight Forever and could take it to a new developer to build on what was already made. It is unlikely they would start over completely. Things are still being discussed and no decisions have been made regarding a new developer or a new game. It was said that there were “feelers” sent to “larger developers”, including “some obvious ones” to gauge interest.