The Stadium Stampede is AEW Fight Forever's most ambitious match type, but one issue could stand in the way of its potential success. While it is an innovative idea, there is a difference between a good concept and being able to execute it. While AEW Fight Forever is succeeding in introducing a new set of wrestlers to the gaming audience, it remains to be seen if it can make its success long-term. The secret to that may lay in the game's future plans, and the most ambitious of those plans is undoubtedly the upcoming Stadium Stampede match.
Despite the fact that AEW Fight Forever includes some former WWE stars, the game strays quite far from WWE's recent offerings. While WWE has been focusing on simulation-style gameplay in a similar way to the UFC games in recent years, AEW Fight Forever has focused on more arcade-style gameplay similar to wrestling games of generations past. Fast-paced fighting and absurd weapons are the order of the day, leading to matches that can be exciting, brutal, and most of all, fun. With more content on the way, including new wrestlers, AEW Fight Forever has a real chance of being WWE's best competitor yet in the gaming market.
AEW Fight Forever's Online Play Will Need To Stand Up To Stadium Stampede's Requirements
It was announced recently by Kenny Omega that AEW Fight Forever will add the Stadium Stampede as a new match type, and it's an idea worth getting excited for. Named after the iconic cinematic match, Stadium Stampede will be a battle royale mode that pits many players against each other at once, fighting with weapons and vehicles through the stadium. With AEW Fight Forever already having a more over-the-top approach than most wrestling games, this seems on-brand for what the game is trying to do. if Stadium Stampede works well, it could be a lot of fun in addition to being a memorable match type.
Unfortunately, even before it's launched, there is reason to be concerned about Stadium Stampede. One important change that AEW Fight Forever needs to make is to its online play. One issue is that the game lacks crossplay, meaning that players can only find opponents playing on the same console, which is difficult enough for filling out one-on-one matches. Considering that the Stadium Stampede is set to include up to 30 players at once, simply finding enough players to play could be a serious obstacle. This issue has the potential to ruin the Statdium Stampede before it even begins if it is not addressed soon.
AEW Fight Forever needs to make a serious move in order to make sure that Stadium Stampede can live up to its potential. Since AEW Fight Forever's Stadium Stampede was leaked, fans will be expecting to play it once it's available. One option to make sure that the mode is ready could be to introduce crossplay, but it remains to be seen just how possible that is at the moment. Another method could be to offer players incentive for playing, such as more in-game cash for purchasing unlockables. Of course, a tune-up for the servers to keep connections stable would be in order as well.
Stadium Stampede could be an entertaining battle royale that can bring a new twist to the wrestling genre, but it needs the necessary foundation to get off on the right foot. AEW Fight Forever can keep improving in the future, and a successful launch of Stadium Stampede would be a big step forward. However, the game's online capabilities could be the biggest obstacle towards that goal if not addressed. Stadium Stampede could be one of AEW Fight Forever's best features, but only if the online servers are up to the task.
AEW: Fight Forever is available now for Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
