WWE 2K22 news continues to trickle out as developers discuss more of the game ahead of launch, and we've now whether the blood feature will return.
We've got details on how blood will work in WWE 2K22, including when they've decided to take it away as an option.
WWE 2K22 will have blood, but not for female superstars
WWE 2K22 is due out in just over a month, and this year's title is desperately trying to blaze a new trail after the failures of WWE 2K20.
With so many changes to the game, we're getting reveals in bits and pieces as developers give clarifications on certain things and offer answers to key questions.
In one recent interview, developers at Visual Concepts were asked whether blood would still be an option in WWE 2K22 and whether it would finally be added for women's matches.
According to developers, "Blood is still an option in the game, although it is off by default. Blood historically has not been supported for women Superstars and that did not change in 2K22."
The first thing to note is that once again blood will be a feature in WWE 2K22, but it's one you'll have to actively seek out in the settings and turn on and not something that will default to being active in the game.
The other tidbit was their confirmation that blood will not be an option for female superstars, something that isn't new and apparently they don't see value in changing.
Why won't WWE 2K22 allow blood for women's matches?
The short answer is that WWE, being a PG and somewhat family friendly product today, doesn't want to catch any criticism for videos of women in their games that are bloodied.
Of course, that's frustrating news for fans, and likely for some women's wrestlers, as they've more than proven themselves as tough and willing to endure pain as men are in professional wrestling.
It also feels hypocritical to leave the feature out, as one of the most iconic moments in WWE women's wrestling over the last few years was the image of Becky Lynch covered in blood following a brawl in the main event of WWE Raw.
While the injury to Lynch was accidental, WWE didn't shy away from showing it clear as day on screen when Lynch was bleeding. They attempted to obscure the blood in recap videos, but the image of Becky exiting the arena triumphant and covered in blood fueled her rise to the top of that division.
Elsewhere, AEW didn't shy away from blood when Thunder Rosa and Britt Baker took on one another in a Lights Out Match or in a violent Street Fight where Tay Conti and Anna Jay took on The Bunny and Penelope Ford.
On the independent wrestling scene, modern day standouts like Kennedi Copeland along with longtime legends like Mickie Knuckles have blazed a trail of women participating in violent deathmatches and being perfectly willing to bleed for their craft.
Unfortunately, WWE is still stuck in the stone age when it comes to this progress, and they won't allow the reality of women being willing to sacrifice their bodies in the ring to make it into WWE 2K22.
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