Highlights
- AEW Fight Forever's Stadium Stampede Battle Royale mode could benefit from a free-to-play release to attract more players and reduce the number of bots in matches.
- Due to the lack of crossplay support and online-only gameplay, many Stadium Stampede matches in AEW Fight Forever are populated with bots instead of real players.
- AEW Fight Forever is still a work in progress, and improvements are expected in the future, including the optimization of the Stadium Stampede Battle Royale mode.
All Elite Wrestling (AEW) is considered the second-biggest wrestling promotion in the world. It's been touted for "giving fans what they want" with compelling storylines and unique matches, which it incorporated in its first video game AEW Fight Forever. Fans finally got a chance to play as their favorite AEW wrestlers as they participate in matches like the Exploding Barbed Wire Death Match and most recently, the Stadium Stampede Battle Royale.
The very first Stadium Stampede match took place during AEW: Double or Nothing 2020. It was a 5v5 empty arena match where wrestlers had to battle it out inside the TIAA Bank Field stadium, while also using weapons and vehicles to their advantage. The concept itself was outrageous, but it had many memorable moments that entertained AEW fans all over the world. But as excited as many gamers were to experience the Stadium Stampede Battle Royale in AEW Fight Forever, the game mode missed out on one huge opportunity.
AEW Fight Forever's Stadium Stampede Can Benefit From a Free-to-Play Release
AEW Fight Forever rolled out the Stadium Stampede Battle Royale on August 24. Unlike the original 5v5 format, the match requires 30 wrestlers to battle it out until only one wrestler comes out victorious. It plays like the usual battle royale game, where players have to fight inside a circle and use weapons to reduce the health of their opponents. It's a unique take on the genre, which has been dominated by popular shooters like Fortnite and Apex Legends.
The hype around AEW Fight Forever might have died down after it launched, but some have noticed that people started playing again to experience the Stadium Stampede Battle Royale. However, they quickly saw the game mode's flaws. Particularly, the amount of bots that populated their matches.
One explanation for the bots is the fact that AEW Fight Forever currently doesn't support crossplay, and it's online-only. This meant that only players on the same consoles could face each other, so there's a huge possibility that most of the opponents will be bots. Many players have noted that they haven't had a Stadium Stampede match where all 30 wrestlers were played by real people, with some observing that the majority of their lobbies were played by bots, with less than 10 real people. (The Stadium Stampede Battle Royale has a minimum player count of two)
Apart from implementing crossplay, AEW Fight Forever could also have a free-to-play release for the Stadium Stampede Battle Royale. This would allow more people, even non-wrestling fans, to be able to fill up the 30-man lobbies. Just like any battle royale game, a mode like this requires a huge player base to ensure that matches won't be filled with bots. It could also open up the possibility of having multi-team Stadium Stampede matches, which could be similar to Apex Legends' trios.
A downside to having a free-to-play release is that it might need a standalone title separate from AEW Fight Forever's base game, which might take some time to develop. Still, it could be a risk worth taking to fully utilize the Stadium Stampede's battle royale style; plus, a free-to-play approach could direct more eyes to AEW Fight Forever in the future.
AEW Fight Forever is still a relatively new release. AEW talents like Kenny Omega previously explained that it's still a work in progress, so players could still expect improvements to the game in the coming months. This would most likely include the optimization of the Stadium Stampede Battle Royale, but as long as it struggles with finding 30 players for its lobbies, this unique battle royale could fail to reach its true potential.
AEW Fight Forever is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
