One of the many questions left unanswered after THQ’s bankruptcy auction last month was the fate of their deal to publish video games based on the WWE license. Take-Two confirmed last week that they had signed a deal for the license, however, it required court approval before it would be official. Today the publisher has revealed that they have received the high sign from the courts, and have entered into an “exclusive multi-year agreement” that gives 2K Games “worldwide rights” to publish the WWE video game franchise. The first game to result from Take-Two’s agreement will be WWE ’14, which is scheduled to launch Fall 2013.
“The WWE series is a great addition to our stable of triple-A titles, and we’re very happy with this exclusive agreement with our new partners,” said David Ismailer, 2K’s Chief Operating Officer. “We look forward to capturing the excitement of WWE and marrying it with the same commitment to authenticity and entertainment that we give to our NBA 2K and MLB 2K franchises.”
Casey Collins, Executive Vice President Consumer Products for WWE, added “2K’s reputation for outstanding quality and dedication to authenticity are a perfect fit for WWE. This new partnership will ensure that WWE continues to be one of the leading video game brands in the world and we look forward to continuing the franchise with the benefit of their expertise across a variety of platforms.”
Take-Two confirmed that development of WWE ’14 is still being handled by the franchise’s current developer, Yuke’s, and will launch this coming Fall for unnamed video game consoles.
The publisher’s refusal to name the specific platforms that WWE ’14 is being developed for seems to suggest that Take-Two is looking towards the next generation systems from Microsoft and Sony, however, that is just a bit of speculation on our part. Regardless of the intended platforms, today’s announcement seems to be the best possible outcome for fans of the WWE franchise.