The Future Of AEW Games: Embrace Being The Alternative
If AEW Games does take a shot at another gaming title, shouldn’t it try to be what the company itself is, and not just be a mirror of what is already out there?
When All Elite Wrestling was born, fans quickly gravitated towards their strong in-ring product, with their roster growing to become one of the best in the world in the years since their inception. However, it wasn’t long before many started asking for more, with an AEW video game being something fans were clamouring for early into the promotion’s lifespan.
Everything from TV shows, movie appearances, comics, and, yes, video games can be used to help launch a wrestling company into the mainstream. For All Elite Wrestling, they made AEW Games to show their commitment to the gaming space. churning out some quick mobile titles before turning their focus to AEW Fight Forever. Their debut console and PC game released on June 29, 2023, but the reception was far from perfect.
For anyone, including myself, who followed that game from announcement to release, it was anything but smooth, and new reports state that All Elite Wrestling may have lost $30 million in total.
The backlash to this report surprised me, as many not only questioned its validity, but also its claim that AEW Games wouldn’t try to make another game for some time. However, before proceeding to what they should at least attempt in another title, should they get that itch again, we need to look at what went wrong before.
What Went Wrong With AEW Fight Forever?
While it’s fair to say its reception wasn’t what the company was hoping for, the question of what went wrong isn’t straightforward to answer, particularly as fans have various opinions about what the game should or shouldn’t have been.
The intent of the game, as noted by AEW itself and various wrestlers like Kenny Omega, was that they wanted AEW Fight Forever to be a game that would be easy to get into and have a level of fun reminiscent of old-school wrestling games like WWF No Mercy, even bringing in the developer of that title, Yukes, to help make it happen.
Fans were excited, but almost from the start, the game was met with delays. There were allegedly conflicts between AEW and Yukes’ team; content kept getting cut, and the release date kept getting pushed farther away, something which perhaps set the tone for what we got on release.
By the time the game did drop, it was broadly fine by most people’s metrics. It got a 64 rating on Metacritic, and it did get a passionate following, but it wasn’t enough to justify various things that happened, including full-priced DLC characters after release.
While I personally didn’t spend time with the game, those I’ve heard from said that, while the gameplay was good, the title left a lot to be desired and it could’ve been much better. Believe it or not, it has a strong modding community that continues to keep the title alive today, but its lifespan should’ve outlasted what it did.
In my mind, the biggest problem with AEW Fight Forever was that it still veered too close to the style of a WWE game. Sure, the gameplay leant more on the arcade-style, but it presented lesser-than graphics and shallow game modes, meaning the game didn’t hold much weight compared to the other offering in its genre. All Elite Wrestling was born to be an alternative to what WWE did, and that mindset has taken them to great heights and feats that many felt were impossible.
So, instead of trying to do what others have done before, why not try to make something altogether unique to help them stand out from the pack?
To that end, allow me to state three game ideas that I’ve either heard about from the community in one form or another and improved upon with my own thoughts, or came up with myself.
Let’s start with one that immediately veers away from what fans would usually expect out of a wrestling game.
Game Idea #1 – AEW Streets of Death (Riders)
*Death Riders music plays*
Since 2024, the Death Riders have been a key part of All Elite Wrestling, very much changing the landscape of things for a year and evolving all through it. Today, they play both babyface and heel roles very well, and the crowd will happily cheer or boo them, depending on what they’re doing.
So, I’d build on that and create a 2D side-scrolling beat’em up in the vein of old-school classics like Double Dragon, Streets of Rage, and so on…but have it star the Death Riders.
Picture this: the Death Riders just happen to reside in a city that is being overrun by a group determined to rule with an iron fist. That group could even be the Don Callis Family if you wanted to make it further tailored to the current AEW scene.
The Death Riders, led by Mox, decide to take the city back the only way they know how: through extreme violence. You’d go through level after level, beating up the various Don Callis members and their goons, with each key member being a boss fight where you have to adapt to their moves and survive long enough to land the killing blow. Given how many DCF members there are, that’s a lot of boss fights, providing plenty of fun battles throughout.
Just as important, you’d play as the six main members of the Death Riders, with each one having different moves to use in battle. Mox can be a bit of a brawler mixed with some more technical moves. Claudio can be the powerhouse with surprising speed. PAC is the high-flyer with powerful kicks. Marina throws people around and submits them, and so on.
Add in a deep co-op mode where you can play as all six at once, and the game could offer a fun multiplayer experience that helps both attract new players and retain them long-term. Plus, I wouldn’t ask AEW to develop it themselves. Instead, I’d ask them to hire Tribute Games, who made the incredible Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge title and the recent Marvel Cosmic Invasion.
Both titles were well received and sold well, so their credentials are solid. Have them go nuts with this, and you’d have a unique title that no one else in the wrestling biz can really say they have.
Oh, and the final boss of the game? You’d get to beat up Don Callis. Who wouldn’t want the chance to do that?
I do acknowledge, though, that not everyone would want that kind of game, and there are plenty of fighting game fans out there. To that point, let’s look at another idea AEW could do if they opt for another style of game close to their heart.
Game Idea #2 – AEW Arcade Rampage
Time to take you for a ride.
AEW is full of nerds, including Kenny Omega himself. During the early years of the company, they had a full-on crossover with Capcom via the Street Fighter X AEW shirt line; I personally still have a shirt featuring the image above.
Am I saying AEW should get Capcom to make a Street Fighter-style title with the AEW roster? No. They could ask for that, but I don’t think they’d bite. However, instead of just doing another 3D realistic-style fighting game, why not do a 2D-style fighting game in the vein of OG Street Fighter, Marvel vs. Capcom, Guilty Gear, and so on? Think of the potential!
We could have fun, stylized versions of the All Elite Wrestling roster not only in their looks, but in their movesets. Imagine Kenny Omega hitting a fiery V-Trigger on an opponent. Or Okada coming in and making it rain on those in his path. How about Willow Nightingale’s attacks being accompanied by waves of her signature positive energy?
You could have Darby use his skateboard, Will Ospreay doing an energy-based Hidden Blade, Hologram using actual holograms, and the fun goes from there.
That would be the key thing for me: I’d want the roster to help shape how their characters look and perform so they feel like they’re truly part of the game dev process, and thus, they’re happy with how things end up.
So, who should develop this title? How about Arc Systems? They just crushed it with Marvel Tokon Fighting Souls, and if they could have that much fun with Marvel characters, imagine what they can do with the All Elite crew?
Plus, we could have modes like “Fight Forever,” where you face an endless number of foes until you truly can’t Fight Forever anymore. It’d be a perfect mode for a leaderboard to see just how well you stack up against others worldwide.
Add that to multiplayer-focused online play, and, as long as things go smoothly, it’d be a hit. I’d also encourage AEW to lean into the fighting game community for this title, including featuring the game at EVO and other fighting game hotspots. You get on the right circuit with the right level of quality, and you have something that will last for a while and be talked about annually in the fighting game community.
This 2D fighting game could be something that AEW only needs to make once, and then, over the years, just add more people to the roster, add the occasional new mode, and it would be a continued hit. It’d be like Rocket League for the fighting genre.
However, if you’re wanting something away from the typical fighting game, and could be more accessible to the casual fan, let’s build on something AEW began exploring with their first game.
Game Idea #3: AEW: Conglomeration Party
It’s time to conglomerate.
The beauty of video games is that they can be whatever you want them to be, depending on the immediate goal you have. So, why not have a Mario Party-style game based around the most upbeat faction in AEW?
AEW: Conglomeration Party would be just what I described: an AEW take on the Mario Party franchise, starring The Conglomeration. It’d be a multiplayer-focused title with as many mini-games as you can imagine. Or, in this case, what the team behind it could imagine.
I’d happily have the AEW roster weigh in on mini-game ideas to make it as robust as possible. After all, Mario Party often has 100 mini-games per title! At the very least, there should be half of that, although, as for a developer, I’m not sure who I’d have make it.
If they thought they could pull it off, I wouldn’t be opposed to AEW doing this one themselves. After all, they had mini-games in Fight Forever, and one of the elements of the report I mentioned earlier was that AEW didn’t feel like what happened before was a total loss because they had their game engine, which is definitely something to build on.
A few improvements and new models for certain Conglomeration members might be all you need to lay the groundwork for things.
Arguably the best part is that, if handled properly, this could be a rather cheap game to put out. It wouldn’t need to be $70 or $80; it could be nearer to $30 or $40, and that would make it a much easier threshold for fans to try it out.
There’s nothing wrong with making something that is meant to be simple and fun. The gaming industry has had numerous successes with that very model, including Mario Party.
So go forth, AEW, and show why everyone should Conglomerate!
In Conclusion: AEW Is The Alternative. So BE The Alternative In Other Places, Too!
Look, in the end, All Elite Wrestling has a lot going on right now. They’re still navigating the fallout from All In: London with All Out on the way; they’re dealing with potential TV contracts, going to France for their next Grand Slam, and so on. It’s very easy for them to want to deal with the video game side of things later, but that’s not how it should go.
Even the simplest games take time to create, so they should start now on their next attempt at making video games so that they can get the ball rolling and be ready when it’s truly time to start promoting their release.
AEW Fight Forever didn’t meet expectations, but it wasn’t a failure. It was hardly the worst wrestling video game ever; both fans and critics admitted that. If anything, it was an admirable first attempt, and something to be learned from.
As fans know, All Elite Wrestling has built itself on being different from other promotions. They make wrestling the priority and show it off in special ways on every show they do. They are the alternative, and that mindset can help them in the gaming space by leading them to ideas that AREN’T what the other companies do. TNA had a video game, remember that? They made the same attempt to copy what WWE did, and they made exactly one video game as a result.
AEW has the chance to do more. So much more! Take these ideas to heart, do something different, and if the quality is there, you’re set for a while.
Now is not the time to back off the gaming side of things. Instead, see this as an opportunity to take thing to a…New Level…
