Justin Leeper might not be a household name to anybody, but he played a huge part in past editions of WWE video games. Speaking with Inside The Ropes, Justin provided some insight as to why WWE 2K20 was so bad, filled with bugs, and largely seen as a failure. Leeper was the first to report in 2020 that WWE would not be releasing a WWE 2K21 game, and turned out to be correct.
Some of the most popular fan complaints about the game besides the many bugs it had were the lack of improvements to game modes and the decline in character models. Fans have also been clamoring for GM Mode to return for a few years. 2K acknowledged that GM Mode was the most requested feature, but it never made its way back into the game.
Leeper believes that Yuke’s deciding to leave the franchise was the main reason why the game was so bad, and that Visual Concepts simply didn’t have the tools or the time to make a decent game.
Leeper said, “Well, it was a very difficult situation because whoever you believe on the timeline, Yuke’s was no longer on the project for 2K20 and they were always on the project for 20 years. They built the car that was pulling the game to stores every year and when you don’t have the driver and the mechanic there and you try and put someone else in the driving seat, it’s always going to be difficult and especially with such a time crunch.”
Yuke’s was reportedly extremely dedicated to putting out a solid product, often having employees sleeping under their desks because they spent so much time working on the game. Leeper said, “Visual Concepts was just not equipped to do the kinda production and make the kinda sacrifices I think that Yuke’s did to get these games out. It’s such a tough thing for them to do that got taken for granted and I think when we saw that they weren’t there… and it’s their engine! They built it, whether there are rusty bolts and duct tape holding things together, they put it together and they knew it better than everyone. So for a company in California to sit there and try to take the helm, that’s a losing prospect but they had to put something out. I don’t excuse the game for coming out in the situation but I know what goes into making games, and those games in particular, and just how valuable Yuke’s was.”
Although fans have heard time and time again from game developers that they are listening to the requests, this year might finally be the tipping point. Competitor AEW has announced a video game with Yuke’s playing a significant role in the game. WWE also skipped releasing a 2K game entirely last year with the expectation that developers would work on releasing a much improved game this year. We recently reported that 2K officials were at the Royal Rumble last month working on the game. However, there has been no official announcement as of this writing of a new game.
Do you think WWE 2K will finally make much needed improvements to the game? Comment below and let us know what you think.
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