WWE fans are still waiting for the first details to emerge of 2K’s WWE 2K23 release. Since WWE’s latest major PPV, Survivor Series, came and went with no official announcement, it raises the question of when 2K will confirm the game is on its way. There are currently no details on who will be WWE 2K23's cover star, which Superstars have made the roster, and what new features or match types have been worked on and implemented. Still, the game is coming; it's just a matter of when.
WWE 2K22 proved to be somewhat of a return to form for WWE 2K games after the 2K20 entry received widespread criticism for the broken state the game shipped in, with many videos of WWE 2K20 glitches going viral. This forced 2K to step back and take a year off from the annual releases to ensure it could provide a much higher quality game, especially given it was the first release on the current generation of hardware. This change in the release schedule from last year provides the biggest clue as to when fans can expect to hear about the next release.
How WWE PPV's Affect The Game's Release Dates
Historically, dating back to the THQ WWE games, game announcements were made during a roster reveal event at SummerSlam Axxess. These would usually take place around July or August, with the games being released roughly three months later in the fall ahead of Christmas to capitalize on the holiday markets. That tradition persisted until this year, when WWE 2K22 was moved to a March release. It was a logical shift due to the buildup to WWE’s biggest event, WrestleMania, which occurs in April every year. The adjusted timing of the launch could be seen as one of the major reasons for the game selling in much higher numbers than in recent times.
It would make sense for 2K to take the same approach with WWE 2K23. It will likely, therefore, be released sometime in March, ahead of WrestleMania 39 which is scheduled to begin on April 1, 2023. Going off the timescales these games have historically followed, it would suggest the first reveal for WWE 2K23 will come in January 2023, with some smaller reveals around superstars perhaps happening by the end of the year. In January 2022, the first official full trailer of WWE 2K22 debuted, and since that worked well, odds are that will be the case again.
Adding further credence to this theory, WWE’s next big event -- the Royal Rumble -- will be on January 28. It’s also the next confirmed PPV. Under the new stewardship of Triple H, WWE cleared its end-of-year PPV schedule, meaning there are no events lined up between Survivor Series and Royal Rumble. Similarly to how 2K would utilize the SummerSlam events as a launching pad for its releases, it would be smart to utilize the publicity of Royal Rumble to generate as much excitement for WWE 2K23 as possible. A Royal Rumble reveal followed by a WrestleMania release seems the most opportune time for 2K to maximize interest in the game.
January 2023 seems to be when fans can expect to get the first official gameplay trailer and an indication of what improvements and changes have been in development for this next release. It is an important year for the WWE games. It not only marks a return to an annual release schedule, but it will be going head-to-head with AEW’s first game this year too. For many years the WWE games have lacked a mainstream competitor, and hopefully that added competition will result in some innovative games that ultimately make fans the big winners.
WWE 2K23 is in development.