WWE reportedly in talks with EA for games after WWE 2K22

While we're just hours away from the Early Access launch of WWE 2K22, one new report seems to indicate there is trouble between 2K Games and WWE.

We've got all the latest details as WWE 2K22 could now be in jeopardy of being the final installment of the series by Visual Concepts.

WWE reportedly in talks with EA for games after WWE 2K22

While WWE 2K22 is set for a worldwide release date on March 11, 2022 and hits Early Access in a matter of hours, there's been turmoil over the franchise for years.

Going back to the debacle that was WWE 2K20, the companies lost both money and crucial reputation when that release fell short and became a running gag on the internet.

Now, according to new reporting by Mike Straw with Fightful Select, there's potential for WWE 2K22 to be the final nail in the coffin for this partnership.

Before we get into the details that are known so far, it's worth noting that Mike Straw has been reporting on WWE 2K22 for months.

Several major leaks during the development process, including ones about upcoming DLC and the way released superstars affected the creation of the title, were reported originally by Mike Straw through SGO.

WWE and EA discussions have been going for years, but picked up in 2021

The report notes that general discussions have been going on between WWE and EA for years, even before WWE chose to extend their contract with Take-Two Interactive (the parent company for 2K Sports) back in 2016.

However, things picked up again in early 2021 as frustrations continued to grow heading into the eventual release of WWE 2K22.

With the failure of WWE 2K20 and the general lack of interest and reception for WWE 2K Battlegrounds, things apparently picked up.

"WWE has shown a lot of frustration with the reception and lack of success of recent games," one source said according to the report by Straw. "The gaming market is a major selling point for them, and they believe they’ve fallen behind the competition.”

Straw also reported that the overall budget since WWE 2K15 has been consistently decreased each year, and that likely lead to a lack of resources putting the development team in more and more of a crunch to do things faster than their team could manage.

"When pressed about why this continued to happen, those asked didn’t have specific reasoning though some did suggest the increase in sports titles in development at the company didn’t help things," Straw said of the situation.

WWE 2K22 is make or break, but things aren't over for 2K

While there is now even more pressure placed on the potential reception for WWE 2K22, this report doesn't necessarily mean things have already been decided.

“The development team at [Visual Concepts] is of the belief things will continue as normal,” one source close to the game said, per this report through Fightful Select. “If anything is changing, no one’s been given even a hint of it.

Other sources that Straw had the chance to speak to have been positive about the possibility that things will continue with Visual Concepts after WWE 2K22.

While the title had an extended release cycle this time, it also means that WWE 2K22 has the potential to serve as a new foundation for the franchise with more upgrades in the coming years.

According to Straw, a potential move to EA may lead the title to EA Vancouver, which is the studio currently working on the eventual release of UFC 5.

Unfortunately, it was also mentioned that a move to EA would mean another "multi-year wait" for the first installment with them to be released.

The jury is still out on the overall reception and sales of WWE 2K22, but we've already drawn some conclusions here in our WWE 2K22 review.