Report: AEW 'Strongly Considering' Changing Developers For Next Video Game

All Elite Wrestling’s first foray into console video games was largely a disaster, with June 2023’s AEW Fight Forever a critical and commercial disappointment. Ahead of any return to the space, it seems that AEW could be looking at changing developers for any future releases.

Per a report from Insider Gaming, ‘multiple sources’ have stated that AEW decision makers are considering switching developers, with the original deal with Yuke's looking to have finished in Summer 2024, after an agreed one-year post-launch update window saw the final DLC pack released in July 2024.

“They [AEW] knows that things didn’t go the way they expected,” one source said. “The game was over-budget and it under delivered when it came out. It has AEW strongly considering moving to a new developer for their games.”

Whilst some praise was given to the core engine that Fight Forever was built upon, and its ‘pick-up-and-playability’, there were numerous complaints about roster and gameplay depth, as well as various bugs and a dated visual style.

Yuke’s and in particular AEW EVP Kenny Omega were said to have ‘butted heads’ at various times during Fight Forever’s development.

“No one was really happy when the game came out,” a source said. “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.”

AEW are said to own the rights to the build for Fight Forever, with AEW able to bring the build over to any developer they sign an agreement with, with AEW said to be doing their ‘due diligence’ when it comes to partnering with a developer ahead of a potential second console game release.