AEW Fight Forever dev footage stars Nyla Rose and Kris Statlander

You Know What That Means

Publisher AEW Games has dropped some new development footage for its upcoming All Elite Wrestling video game, which has been officially titled AEW Fight Forever. The new ring rocker is currently in development at Yuke’s, though platforms and a release window are yet to be confirmed.

The two new videos focus on AEW wrestlers Nyla Rose and Kris Statlander, (not forgetting referee Aubrey Edwards) as the two warriors battle it out in squared-circle action. While the footage obviously reflects a title still in its developmental stages, and is thus is a little janky, Yuke’s recognizable wrasslin’ game style peeks through.

From the chunkier, “action-figure” look of the character models to the exaggerated, thunderous impact created by the moves themselves, AEW Fight Forever wants to recall the glory days of Yuke’s earlier work, such as the Toukon Retsuden series, and the formative releases in the WWE SmackDown! line. While AEW Fight Forever isn’t quite Shut Your Mouth just yet, this early footage shows promise.

There is a lot riding on AEW Fight Forever, at least in the hopes of wrestling game fans. A lot of players have found themselves severely disfranchised with pro-wrestling games for many years, as 2K Games’ WWE 2K moved from stagnation to abomination. While the excellent Fire Pro Wrestling World can be held up as a shining light in regards to a dedicated sandbox wrestling game, some players are still looking for that semi-casual, fun, party feel of classics such as WWF No Mercy and WWE Here Comes the Pain — both of which push two decades old.

With AEW Fight Forever, there is, at least, a glimmer of hope. A possibility that wrestling games can return to the knock-down, drag-out days of yore, before everything got too dry and cumbersome in the name of “simulation”. Though it should be noted that 2K Games has made a strong effort to combat the doldrums with its most recent entry, WWE 2K22, a lot of players have already long passed the point of burnout, and are looking for a savior to provide them the entertainment they desire. Art imitating life, I suppose.

AEW Fight Forever is currently in development at Yuke’s and AEW Games.