Visual Concepts Detail Adding WarGames To WWE 2K23

In a major announcement on January 23, it was revealed that WarGames will be part of a WWE video game for the first time ever when WWE 2K23 is released on Friday, March 17.

The Match Beyond has been a part of WWE since 2017 and WarGames debuted on the main roster in 2022 at Survivor Series. In WWE 2K23, the match will be playable as either 3 vs. 3 or 4 vs. 4. 

Speaking about adding WarGames to a WWE video game, Visual Concepts' Creative Director Lynell Jinks admitted to Polygon that the idea "scared the hell" out of the team but the rebuilt game engine that debuted in WWE 2K22 was designed with possibly adding WarGames in the future in mind. 

"When we rebuilt the engine on 2K22 we were like, 'Alright, let's talk about...traversal, let's talk about the things that we're going to want to be able to do one day. So we kind of built everything with that in mind," Jinks said.

A WarGames match was ultimately impossible in the former engine, with Jinks adding: "Oh my gosh, I have to put two cages in the crowd; then there's, like, a timer, and these guys come out, and there's entrances. And, there's two rings, side-by-side, surrounded by a cage; and you can climb the cage, and you can bring weapons in, and I'm just like, 'Oh my God...'"

The introduction of WarGames also helped Visual Concepts bring in Bryan Williams, a longtime wrestling game developer who previously worked at YUKE's, as a gameplay producer. 

"The first day back, I saw a build, and I was like, 'Oh, my God, you guys, we're doing it!' And it was in such a good state early on," Williams stated.

WWE 2K23 will be released on PlayStation and Xbox consoles, as well as PC.