Yuke's says there is no rivalry with WWE, focused on their new game with AEW
For the better part of two decades, Yuke's and WWE were attached at the hip when it came to wrestling video games. So it's certainly surprising to some to see that Yuke's are now in the driver's seat when it comes to creating the first console video game for AEW.
While 2K chose to part ways with Yuke's after WWE 2K19 to venture out on their own, Yuke's chose to begin work on a new wrestling game engine. When the opportunity came for AEW and Yuke's to work together, it seemed like the perfect fit.
A lot of fans in the wrestling games community have already tried pitting Yuke's against 2K, much like the fans who continually try to push the war between WWE and AEW. But Yuke's has made it very clear that they don't feel the same way.
Yuke's is focused on its new AEW game
In speaking with Video Games Chronicle, Yuke’s senior vice president and producer Hiromi Furuta was quick to point out that she sees no rivalry with WWE and is focused on the current task at hand creating AEW's first console game...
"My goal is simply to create high-quality pro-wrestling games that are loved by the community. I do not think of it as being a rivalry with WWE, but rather as us creating a new product with AEW. I still love the WWE and respect its talent."
While Furuta couldn't give many details about the new AEW game she did confirm that it is based on the engine that they started working on in 2019 and that the legendary AKI video game No Mercy will serve as inspiration with Hideyuki Iwashita working alongside the team to ensure that vision...
"Mr. Iwashita was one of the members essential to assembling the greatest pro-wrestling game team that Kenny Omega had envisioned. After AKI stopped making WWE wrestling games, part of their former team joined Yuke’s and worked on our games with us. We thus think of [Iwashita] as a reliable member for creating wrestling games. Fans of pro-wrestling games love No Mercy’s game system, so it will undoubtedly serve as key inspiration for us."
While no release date has been given for the AEW console game, Excalibur did say on commentary during a recent edition of Dynamite that the game was expected to release in 2021.