Kenny Omega shed some more light on AEW’s first console game this week in a new interview with IGN Japan. During last week’s 2.Show presentation “The Cleaner” confirmed the game would feature online multiplayer (potentially with cross-platform play), as well as a Create-A-Wrestler mode. He took things a step further in the new interview by saying definitively the game would have a Campaign mode but would lack the General Manager mode featured in other wrestling titles like the old SmackDown vs. Raw installments.
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“I can say right now that we’re not sure of how many wrestlers will be available upon release, but one thing I can say is that the number of wrestlers in the AEW is growing all the time, and the roster of wrestlers in the game will reflect that,” Omega said. “There will be a campaign, and various other unusual modes, and you will be able to edit your own wrestler, too.”
The General Manager mode will instead be the main feature of AEW Elite GM, a mobile game that is currently in development.
Omega was once again asked about the game’s release date. He said the team is hoping the game drops in late 2021, but doesn’t want to rush things.
“I don’t want to rush it, so I don’t want to make a promise [about the release date],” he said. “I want the release version to be good.”
During the 2.Show episode, Omega went into detail about how the gameplay will be a combination of arcade and simulation-style.
“Taking a look at complete simulation-based wrestling, the first thing that pops into my mind is Fire Pro,” Omega said. “That has a huge fan base in its own right. However, I think there’s a lot people that find that when you really take the simulation aspect and ramp it up too high it eliminates some of the fun from people that just want to get in the game and mix it up with your buddies and really feel the speed and the fun that some of the older games were able to provide. Is it going to be a full simulation? No, but do I want the players to feel like when you’re doing the moves that you’re controlling the actual wrestling character? Yes, that’s really important. I would expect speed in the terms of arcade play, but moves, countering systems, submissions, al; that to feel like how you would feel if you were actually in the ring with your opponent.”
