While AEW Fight Forever's release date is now set for June 2023, fans are only just getting a look at what the game looks like in players' hands thanks to an AEW star enjoying the game on their own Nintendo Switch. The Switch has become the go-to platform for wrestlers, with names such as AEW's Adam Page and WWE's Xavier Woods previously talking about how the console is perfect for a profession where travel is near-constant. AEW wrestler Ricky Starks appears to fall into this camp as well, and he has been enjoying the promotion's debut game on his personal console.AEW Fight Forever is the first game from the four-year-old promotion, with THQ Nordic serving as a publishing partner while longtime wrestling game developer Yuke's has led development. While the WWE 2K series has become known for its simulation-style approach, Fight Forever looks to be somewhat of a throwback to the popular arcade-style games of the late-1990s including WWF No Mercy and WCW/nWo Revenge. The game is set to feature a career mode, character creation suite, online store, and several notable match-types from AEW history such as the Stadium Stampede and the exploding barbed-wire deathmatch.Ricky Starks took to Twitter with an image of Fight Forever's starting menu, effectively teasing players anxious to get their own hands on the game. The image shows the wrestler's in-game model inside a locker room with the main gameplay options available to choose, while it appears each will have additional choices under each main section. In addition, a notification can be seen on the lower right-hand corner of screen notifying Starks that fellow AEW wrestler Evil Uno is online and available to play with.
The post from Starks is just one of many from AEW wrestlers who have been getting hands-on with the game over AEW Double or Nothing weekend. Nyla Rose, Orange Cassidy, and Evil Uno are a few members of the roster who have shared their thoughts on the game across social media, stating their own excitement for the game and how much they have enjoyed it thus far. Some players attending AEW Fan Fest ahead of Double or Nothing have also gotten to play the game, with a common theme being how the game feels like a modern-style WWF No Mercy.
It remains to be seen how wider audiences will respond to Fight Forever, it appears set as one of many big moments for the young promotion in the coming summer. AEW is set to add a second two-hour show in primetime on Saturdays, AEW Collision, on June 17, which is rumored to feature the return of CM Punk. In addition, the company is set to run its biggest show ever with AEW All In London at Wembley Stadium, which has reportedly sold well over 65,000 tickets.
AEW Fight Forever is scheduled to release June 29, 2023, for Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
