WWE 2K Battlegrounds Revealed As WWE 2K21 Gets Officially Cancelled

Last week, the WWE announced that there wouldn't be a WWE 2K game released this year. The organization didn't give a reason why, but one doesn't have to wonder too much given the critical and fan response to WWE 2K20. Shortly after the WWE confirmed that, 2K Games began teasing a new announcement concerning the future of the WWE 2K series, saying it would share more details today.

This morning, 2K delivered on the promise, revealing a new title called WWE 2K Battlegrounds. Unlike the WWE 2K games, which are closer to simulation titles, 2K positions Battlegrounds as more of an arcade title. "We're thrilled to introduce you to WWE 2K Battlegrounds, a completely new WWE gaming experience that will feature arcade-style action and over-the-top Superstar designs, environments, and moves," 2K said in its announcement today. "We're focusing on social pick-up-and-play fun, but with plenty of depth for those who want to get way into it."

2K says that WWE 2K Battlegrounds is being developed by the team behind NBA 2K Playgrounds, Saber Interactive. 2K didn't share a ton of details about Battlegrounds today (we don't know which platforms it'll launch on, for instance), but it did publish a new teaser trailer which you can see above.

So, what of the mainline WWE 2K series? Well, for starters, the WWE was right: there won't be a new game in the series this year. Today, 2K elaborated on that, saying that it's been listening to fans who have by and large been critical about WWE 2K20. For starters, 2K says that the servers for WWE 2K19 will be kept up and running, so you can get your WWE kicks there if you'd prefer to avoid 2K20.

"All of that being said, we hear you and we know you want more from the franchise, so here's what we're going to do: we are applying what we've learned to the next WWE 2K simulation game with a renewed focus on quality and fun," the company said. "As part of that commitment, we are extending the production timeline and will not be releasing a WWE 2K simulation game in 2020 (T2 fiscal year 2021)."

Visual Concepts will continue to develop the WWE 2K series, but it will do so under the leadership of Patrick Gilmore, who is joining the company as its executive producer. 2K says that we'll hear more from him and the team at Visual Concepts in the coming months, so we'll keep an eye out for that. We'll also be on the lookout for more information about WWE 2K Battlegrounds, so stay tuned.