Rumor becomes real as WWE confirms that WWE 2K21, this year’s iteration of its WWE 2K wrestling game franchise, is canceled. The announcement of the long-running franchise being canceled for this year came during a WWE investor’s Q&A session held yesterday which also provided an update on the wrestling conglomerate’s financial situation in a time when COVID-19 is shutting down all but the most essential forms of business.
The rumor began last week in the form of pontification from a former WWE narrative design writer that worked on the series when it was still in the hands of THQ. Though writer Justin Leeper had no direct connections to the 2K franchise, he spoke from experience that WrestleMania weekend–which came and went a few weeks ago–is usually the start-up point for WWE’s marketing machine to start pitching the upcoming video game.
While no further word on WWE’s gaming future came up in the call, 2K games did follow up on social media late last night to confirm another rumor. The previous report from Leeper also suggested that 2K will announce an alternative WWE game for release this year in the form of a “palate cleanser,” which appears to also be correct. The post from 2K below confirms that some type of announcement is coming on Monday, April 27 at 10:00 a.m. EST.
We will be sharing details on the future of the WWE 2K franchise as well as some exciting news on Monday at 7:00 a.m. PT.
— 2K (@2K) April 24, 2020
If you’re inclined to know the financial situation of a company that is at the center of many COVID-19 discussions in the past few weeks then the Q&A notes are of interest. While the Q&A doesn’t reflect the company’s current status after a slew of talent and backstage agent releases from a few weeks back that were said to be a cost-cutting measure, it does provide insight into WWE’s financials via its subscription streaming service and television contract.
