AEW’s first console video game installment, AEW Fight Forever, is currently in development and AEW Executive Vice President Kenny Omega has been providing a number of updates in recent interviews. He spoke with Sports Illustrated this week ahead of Forbidden Door and once again highlighted the gameplay, saying, “The game has to be fun. I also want the game to have its own feel. A match with Kenny Omega should feel like a Kenny Omega match. The same with Darby Allin or Nyla Rose. There can be universal counters, but the characters need their unique signature moves. So you’re not going to see Sting do a springboard top rope frankensteiner. Sting will feel like Sting. My hope is that whoever you like, you’ll get to enjoy playing like them in the game. There is also some real cool stuff with the game modes. There will be a couple surprises, too. The plan is to show new material as soon as possible. We’re getting very close.”
Omega actually gave away one of those surprises in the interview, confirming that Cody Rhodes will still be a playable character in the game. Rhodes, one of the founding members of AEW, opted to leave the company earlier this year and returned to WWE at WrestleMania 38 in April. He is currently out of action while recovering from a torn pec.
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“This may come as a surprise to people, but Cody is still in the game,” Omega said. “I was very passionate about making sure his legacy and position within the company were preserved. We’ve built this game from the ground up, starting everything from scratch. That’s why I thought this game could coincide with the birth of this company. You get to experience AEW from the beginning, from day one. The game is going to reflect a lot of that, even though our locker room is ever-changing.”
Previous reports of Rhodes being unable to appear in WWE 2K22 have popped up in recent months, though there’s plenty of speculation that “The American Nightmare” could be on the cover of WWE 2K23. He addressed that situation back in May, tweeting out, “I don’t know the talented folks at@WWEgames- but I’m a pretty decent gambler and I would bet they’re working very hard on something special for pro wrestling fans.”
