AEW will produce more video games, Tony Khan has confirmed, while also continuing its work on its first console gaming entry, Fight Forever. Speaking to Mr. Wright Way at the AEW All In: Texas tickets launch event, Khan shared his excitement for the future of AEW’s video games department.

“I’m really excited about Fight Forever because there’s still more wrestlers and exciting updates coming to the game. Eventually, we’ll absolutely continue to put out more AEW games.”

For now, the focus is on making Fight Forever the best it can be, Khan said, adding that the game was a “great first entry” into the world of console video games. he spoke of the “many opportunities in the world of gaming” and is excited to explore what’s out there.

Fight Forever: Shaky First Outing

AEW Fight Forever launched in June 2023 after a series of delays to PS4, PS5, Xbox, PC, and the Nintendo Switch. The game received mixed to average reviews, including an average score of 63/100 on Metacritic. The game was praised for its arcade gameplay, but criticized for its limited presentation, modes, and customization features.

AEW worked with Yuke’s to develop Fight Forever, but this partnership may not continue for future projects. In September, it was reported that “decision makers” in AEW were strongly considering finding a new development partner. The belief is that developers were pressured to “deliver something faster than what it should’ve been,” leading to issues with the released product.

Check out our Gaming Hub for all the latest on AEW Fight Forever, the WWE 2K series and more from the world of pro-wrestling video games.

AEW may be looking elsewhere for the developers of its future video games following the mixed response to its inaugural game, Fight Forever, which was released on all major consoles and PC in June 2023. 

While the gameplay was fun and easy to pick up, fans voiced their frustration with the lack of depth in the game, game modes, and bugs that the game had. In April 2024, it was reported that the developers were pressured to “deliver something faster than what it should’ve been,” leading to the issues. 

Mike Straw of Insider Gaming reports that sources have told him the decision makers at AEW are “strongly considering” finding a new development partner moving forward as the future of the AEW games hangs in the balance. 

“They [AEW] knows that things didn’t go the way they expected,” one source said. “The game was over-budget and it under delivered when it came out. It has AEW strongly considering moving to a new developer for their games.”

The promotion wants to see where else they can go with their games. Their original deal with Yuke’s called for one year of post-launch content, which included four season passes that added wrestlers, moves, game modes, and venues. Yuke’s last released a DLC game pack in July, adding Will Ospreay, Kazuchika Okada, and Mercedes Mone. 

Sources told the media outlet that the primary focus is on the gaming future as a whole, and everything is on the table regarding the future. The two sides reportedly butted heads before the game was released, including problems with AEW EVP Kenny Omega, who was at the point of “hating” working with Yuke’s. 

Others felt that Yuke’s was trying to “take advantage” of Omega due to his inexperience in helping with game development.

All Elite Wrestling Fight Forever is still going strong after its official release last year. The game was released on June 29, 2023, on Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4/5, and Steam. Although AEW Fight Forever was met with mixed reviews universally, the company is still adding more content to appease fans. 

On X/Twitter, AEW revealed that they have updated the game for free with new character skins and five music tracks. The company also announced that Stadium Stampede mode has been updated. 

“As a thank you to the fans for making #AEW the fastest growing wrestling promotion of all-time, the new Elite Beats and Stampede Expansion is available to #AEWFightForever players starting today,” wrote AEW.

The timing of the update is interesting as the company will celebrate the anniversary of its first pay-per-view, AEW Double or Nothing, on May 25. This year, the annual AEW event will occur on May 26 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. It’s unclear if the AEW Fight Forever will add more free content in connection to other milestone events for the company. However, AEW Fight Forever fans will appreciate the free additions to the game. 

AEW Fight Forever Season Pass 4 DLC

Along with adding a free update, AEW has also announced that their fourth Season Pass is available for download today for $19.99 on social media. The game has added Samoa Joe, Jay White, and Adam Copeland to be playable for fans who purchased it. AEW Fight Forever Season Pass 4 also adds two arenas, 30 move sets, and a new tournament mode. 

The new DLC is notable for wrestling fans as it will be the first game that Copeland will be involved in which isn’t WWE. The last game he was involved in was WWE 2K23 from the previous year. 

There are still wrestlers that have yet to appear in the game. It’s possible AEW Fight Forever could add more DLC or a free update later this year. However, their latest update could be enough for now to enjoy. 

AEW Fight Forever was released with ‘careless’ issues after going well over its intended budget, sources from within the game’s production have revealed. 

Fight Forever, AEW’s first foray into the world of console gaming, hit shelves in June 2023 after experiencing significant delays to its release. The game received mixed reviews at launch with numerous glitches and error codes frustrating gamers. While the arcade style was praised, the shallow customization options were critiqued as was the small roster compared to other wrestling titles.

AEW Fight Forever’s Issues

Those within AEW and game developer Yuke’s believe the game should not have been announced as early as it was, Insider Gaming reports. As one source still attached to the game said, the early announcement led to long delays between updates, which led to mistakes being made. 

“The longer we went without updating people, the more pressure we felt which led to, for some people, carelessness with what was being done.”

Those working on the game did not feel the title was ready when it was released last June. Explaining the decision to release the game, another source said that the pressure was insurmountable as the costs continued to rise.

“They (AEW) knew they were going to lose money on this game. But there was a lot of pressure to make money back solely because of how overbudget the game went.”

Another source added that releasing the game when it did was an effort to “recoup” money from development. The budget fell between 1.5 to two times the original expected cost of development. The issues upon launch were addressed on Twitter by AEW EVP/Fight Forever development lead Kenny Omega. 

As someone who plays a ton of fighting games and FPS, I’ll always encourage fixes and rebalancing when situations like these turn up. There will be continued support for the game so all this feedback and suggestions are great! Thank you!

— Kenny Omega (@KennyOmegamanX) July 2, 2023

What’s to Come for Fight Forever? 

Nearly a year on from AEW Fight Forever, there’s been no word on a sequel game, with AEW instead using sporadic DLC updates. As a source explained, it’s unclear what the future holds for Fight Forever once Yuke’s contracted work on the game is complete. 

“We know AEW wants a second game to be made, but as far as who will make it, that’s completely up in the air. Them (AEW) owning the game engine puts the ball in their court.”

One feature fans were excited to hear about was cross-platform play though that has yet to be implemented. A source working on the game said that testing of the feature produced too many issues and there are plans to revisit the idea down the line. When asked what ‘down the line’ means, they said “Your guess is as good as anyone.” 

AEW’s first console video game was not the hit many hoped it to be, especially compared to WWE 2K23 which was released mere months before Fight Forever. It remains to be seen if AEW will release a second game and if so, what lessons they’ll take from Fight Forever. 

Players of AEW Fight Forever can now bring the Big Swing, European Uppercuts, and more to the game with the inclusion of Claudio Castagnoli as DLC.

First announced in 2020, AEW Fight Forever is the promotion’s first console video game follows on from the company’s mobile games ‘AEW Elite: General Manager‘ and ‘AEW Casino: Double or Nothing.’ Fight Forever’s development would take longer than many fans expected, before hitting shelves and online stores in June of last year. 

Giant Swing in the Ring

In a YouTube video, it was confirmed that the newest DLC will bring Claudio Castagnoli to the popular game. The Swiss wrestler narrates over footage of himself in the game to a remix of Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture. 

The Blackpool Combat Club member mentions that he is coming to the game with a bunch of new skins for characters as well as the rare ‘Gold Attire.’ This unique attire is available for all playable characters but can only be unlocked by winning the AEW World Championship 20 times in the game. 

AEW Fight Forever’s Roster

Many fans weren’t happy when AEW Fight Forever was released that the playable character roster was noticeably smaller than expected (and far smaller than WWE’s 2K games.)

Noticeable omissions from the launch date roster included Inner Circle alum such as Jake Hager, Santana, and Ortiz and reigning Ring of Honor Women’s World Champion Athena. In October, it was said that work was being done on adding new talent to the game. The following month, AEW Trios Champions The Acclaimed were added to the game as DLC.