2K has decided to split with Yuke’s, which is a veteran studio that has produced WWE video games, in favor of Visual Concepts.
The change will start with the upcoming WWE 2K20 video game, according to VideoGameChronicle. 2K confirmed the news in a statement to the media outlet.
It should be noted that Yuke’s confirmed the split but also noted that they will continue providing support to 2K with regard to the game engine. 2K provided the following statement to VGC:
“WWE 2K20 will be developed by Visual Concepts, who have worked with Yuke’s on the development of the series since WWE 2K14.
“As we’ve continued to invest in the WWE 2K franchise, we’ve seen the Visual Concepts team display incredible passion, talent and commitment to the future of the series. We thank Yuke’s for their years of partnership and are excited to see what the Visual Concepts team brings to the franchise moving forward.”
This is a significant change as Yuke’s has worked to produce WWE video games since 1999 and released WWE SmackDown on the PS1. Up until 2013, they were the sole developer of the game under THQ.
That all changed when 2K acquired the rights to WWE’s games in 2013 from THQ and brought the Visual Concepts team to help work on the game
Just back in May, Yuke’s announced their plans to produce a wrestling-related video game to compete with the WWE 2K franchise. The idea was to increase creativity amongst its developers through internal competition.
WWE 2K20 will be released on October 22nd, 2019 with no early access for collectors or deluxe versions this year. It will be made available for fans to play on Xbox One, PS4, and PC.
