However, Electronic Arts has a reputation among gamers, as some consider many of the company’s practices to be anti-consumer, and its emphasis on games as a service is consistently met with mixed receptions. Yet EA has the capability to make, refine, and perfect annual gaming experiences, with constant tweaks allowing each series’ gameplay formula to feel better with each release. Should future WWE games be developed or published by Electronic Arts, there are a handful of potential benefits and a number of disadvantages that could arise.
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Pros of EA Working on WWE
There are few companies that know how to forge a consistent experience on an annual basis. With publisher 2K skipping a year in 2021, and opting to follow up 2019’s WWE 2K20 with WWE 2K22, time will tell if the wait has been worthwhile. EA has managed to stick to a yearly release for many of its licenses, with only minor blemishes on each new offering beyond overall homogeneity. Electronic Arts has the opportunity to bring stability to a franchise that has struggled to find its footing in recent years, even after a decade of quality.
Furthermore, Electronic Arts’ premium subscription service, EA Play, offers a multitude of titles for a small fee. Its integration with the PC version of Xbox Game Pass allows patrons of the Microsoft service the opportunity to dive into some of EA’s games, from the beloved Mass Effect series to lesser-known titles like Fe or Sea of Solitude. The WWE license falling under the EA banner would likely mean that Game Pass subscribers could play new releases with their monthly cost, which benefits the consumer.
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Cons of EA Working on WWE
EA’s online servers have been inconsistent for what feels like years, and with much of the enjoyment in WWE 2K titles coming from online competition, time will tell if the servers are stable enough to keep the fun going. Servers are shared between EA franchises, and the high user count of FIFA or Madden means there’s a chance future EA WWE titles will suffer.
The corporate practices of Electronic Arts have been under scrutiny as well, including the glut of microtransactions that plagued much of the PS4 and Xbox One generation. The company has responded to backlash in seeming efforts to become more user-friendly, like removing loot boxes from Star Wars: Battlefront 2 or launching the indie-focused EA Originals. But to many, the product is tainted by the company’s crooked reputation. The WWE games license has faced its own share of criticism as previous entries released in a broken state, so EA should look to restore the series to its best. The likelihood of this coming without any form of stingy corporate practices, however, feels slim.
Electronic Arts’ reputation in recent years seems to be one that nurtures innovation, and then ruthlessly capitalizes on success. The company has shown its commitment to a quality formula for decades, and EA Play finding a home on Game Pass for PC means more people than ever can enjoy its offerings. However, EA’s reputation is a lot to overcome, and adding yet another sports game to its list of franchises runs the risk of crowding its struggling servers. Time will tell if the partnership will even go ahead, but if it does, there’s much for fans to consider.
WWE 2K22 launches March 11 for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
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