Highlights
- AEW's entry into the world of wrestling games with AEW Fight Forever has been a notable competitor to WWE 2K, despite receiving mixed reviews.
- AEW's success opens up opportunities for collaborations with other franchises in the gaming industry, similar to WWE's crossovers with popular games like Fortnite.
- AEW has the potential to tap into collaborations with unexpected titles and genres, such as fighting games like Tekken or Mortal Kombat, to expand its reach and impact in the gaming space.
All Elite Wrestling (AEW) burst into the world of wrestling games with AEW Fight Forever last June. Apart from wrestling game essentials like a career mode and create-a-wrestler feature, the game features matches that are unique to AEW, like the Casino Battle Royale and Exploding Barbed Wire Death Match. It's been touted as a notable competitor to the WWE 2K series, a franchise that's dominated the wrestling video game spaces for years. Despite receiving mixed reviews from players and critics, there were still many fans who spent hours playing AEW Fight Forever, and it is a good step in the right direction for AEW.
With AEW now dipping its toes in gaming, it opens up more opportunities for them to be involved in collaborations with other franchises. WWE has been doing crossovers with video games, such as Rhea Ripley and Undertaker skins in Rainbow Six Siege, adorable New Day and Asuka skins in Fall Guys, and most recently, Becky Lynch and Bianca Belair skins in Fortnite. Despite being relatively new in the wrestling business, AEW already established itself as a respected brand that's garnered the attention of hundreds and thousands of fans worldwide.
The Possibility of AEW Video Game Collabs
Founded in 2019, AEW is considered the second-largest wrestling promotion in the US behind WWE. It's a company that was started by wrestlers Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks (Matt Jackson and Nick Jackson), who all hold executive vice president positions. Avid viewers of AEW programming have praised the promotion for its more off-the-cuff storytelling. Many have also pointed out that compared to WWE, AEW president and CEO Tony Khan was far more likely to book things that wrestling fans wanted.
AEW's popularity grew rapidly, and at times, surpassed WWE's viewership. It was only a matter of time before the company would release a wrestling game, which eventually led to the creation of AEW Fight Forever. The company is also developing a mobile game called AEW Figure Fighters, which is expected to come out next year. Following the moderate success of AEW Fight Forever, it was clear to many fans that the company could further make a mark in the video game space. While it might take a long time for AEW to come out with another big wrestling game, what it could do for the meantime is capitalize on video game collaborations.
Since WWE is already present in many popular games right now, AEW still has an opportunity to tap unexpected titles that would suit its storytelling style and the wrestlers' personalities. During a recent AEW Dynamite episode, Jeff Hardy and Jeff Jarrett faced off in a special Texas Chainsaw Massacre Death Match, which also had a surprise Leatherface appearance and a belt with the serial killer's face on it. This was done in partnership with the upcoming Texas Chainsaw Massacre game, and Warner Bros. Discovery was reportedly thrilled with how it turned out.
AEW could also look into fighting games, like Tekken, especially since Omega is a huge fan of the franchise. The game isn't a stranger to working with wrestling companies either. In the past, Tekken has collaborated with New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where Omega used to perform, to include Bullet Club shirts and move sets based on its wrestlers. Another candidate could be Mortal Kombat, especially since both the game and AEW are under Warner Bros. The upcoming Mortal Kombat 1 already announced crossovers featuring Peacemaker and Homelander, so it could make room for equally violent AEW wrestlers like Jon Moxley and Eddie Kingston. Fortnite is yet another candidate, as it has already included wrestlers like John Cena.
Of course, AEW could continue surprising fans with unexpected partnerships in its own programming, like with Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Perhaps Omega could tap into his love for video games to find interesting collaborations in the future. It might still be a little early for AEW to get the attention of the biggest video game companies, but the company's reach and popularity are vast enough to make a significant impact in the gaming space.
AEW Fight Forever is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
