WWE 2K23 cover star, gameplay improvements and new features revealed

Whether you are a wrestling fan or not, chances are you know one of the most iconic WWE Superstars of all time,John Cena. Cena is an icon in the WWE ring and even outside the WWE ring.

June 27, 2022, marked the 20-year anniversary of John Cena making his WWE debut, a debut that would never be forgotten. While the WWE 2K23 cover athlete has said to be rumored/leaked as of late, there is no need to speculate any longer. In honor of such a legendary figure, it has been confirmed by WWE 2K23 that the cover athlete to be granted the honor this year will in fact be the 16-time World Champion John Cena.

John Cena being on the cover of WWE 2K23 marks the second time the athlete gets to harness this honor. The last time Cena was on the cover of a 2K video game was WWE 2K15. The WWE 2K franchise hasn’t always had the best of feedback from gamers and really wasn’t till WWE 2K22 that gamers really started to give the franchise a chance once again. WWE 2K23 is hoping to build off of the success of WWE 2K22 by enhancing certain aspects of the game and providing new features that have never been in prior WWE games before.

Improvements

As far as improvements go, WWE states on their website that the 2K23 will feature “incredibly realistic graphics, animations, camera angles and lighting, plus accessible controls and a new optional pinning mechanic will add to the highly immersive experience.” When it comes to video games such as wrestling games, you really need the graphics and animations to be elite. One of the main problems with previous WWE 2K video games is that most of them failed to reach that elite level in terms of graphics and animations.

They also go on to state that the camera angles, lighting, and new pinning mechanic will be able to add to the highly immersive experience that WWE 2K23 will be able to provide gamers. Hopefully, everything that they are saying pans out to be true. If everything that was stated above is in fact true, this has the potential to be one of the best WWE 2K games to date. It all depends on the execution from Visual Concepts.

New Features

One of the biggest things that gamers look for in a new installment in a franchise is everything new. It wouldn’t be a new game without new features, and it has been confirmed exactly what new features and additions we can expect this year.

The WWE 2K Showcase mode will obviously focus on the Cover Athlete as per usual. However, this 2K Showcase will have more of a documentary type feel to it. Instead of stepping into the minds of John Cena himself, you will instead step into the boots of some of the greatest wrestlers that Cena has competed with throughout his career as John Cena narrates the whole experience. Along the way, you will be provided with live-action footage from points in his Cena’s career to really bring some of those moments that you are witnessing in the video game to life.

The beloved WarGames will also make their debuted into the franchise. WWE fans love WarGames matches and now you can play them anytime you want. You will have the choice of going into the match via 3v3 or 4v4 and the mode will be available in both single player and multiplayer. It should be interesting to see how visually appealing WarGames is to gamers. If done correctly, it will be visually stunning. If done poorly, it could all look like a jumbled mess.

MyGM, MyFaction, and MyRise, will also be getting improvements as well. MyGM will now offer more GMs to choose from along with custom GM creations. There will also be expanded options, match types, match cards, and a whole lot more so that you can feel like you are a real life WWE General Manager.

If you aren’t familiar with MyFaction from previous WWE games, MyFaction allows you to create your own four player faction by collecting various WWE Superstars and become the best Faction WWE has ever seen. The big change to come to this game mode in WWE 2K23 is that you can now take your Faction online in the multiplayer option. The new online feature will allow you to battle with other Factions around the globe to see if you can become number one in the entire world. There will be weekly Faction challenges as well.

MyRise returns in order to give gamers their chance to become their very own WWE Superstar. Both Men and Women storylines will be available for your created WWE Superstar and depending on the decisions that you make throughout the game mode, that will decide how exactly your career will shape up.

WWE 2K23 will be released on March 17, 2023. While it is still almost two months away, that really isn’t a lot of time. Having WarGames added to the mix for the first time ever should be interesting, but the main masterpiece of the video game with be the 2K Showcase mode. Getting to play through one of the most iconic careers in WWE history, while it being narrated by the man himself is going to be such a cool experience.

From making his WWE debut against Kurt Angle on June 27, 2002 to tying Ric Flair’s 16 World Championship wins at the 2017 Royal Rumble by defeating AJ Styles, it is going to be a rollercoaster that everyone is going to want to ride.