AEW wrestler Kenny Omega has detailed the ongoing development of video game AEW: Fight Forever (on which he serves as the creative director) in a new interview, hyping up the future of the title. According to Omega, development is continuing at a ‘blistering pace’, with Yuke’s reportedly now entering ‘hyper mode’ to get the game polished and ready for launch in 2022.
‘It’s incredible the amount they are doing within a 24 hour period. It just seemed like, out of nowhere, a light switch went off and they went into hyper mode,’ Omega told Fightful.
‘Some of the stuff we were worried might be on the cutting room floor is now getting implemented. It was a challenge to attempt to make a brand new wrestling game from the ground up during the COVID era – it was very challenging. It got to a point where it seemed bleak, and maybe we would never release this thing, but we kind of got past that.’
In addition to discussing the game’s rocky development, Omega also talked about his role as a creative director, telling Fightful that he worried about being an effective communicator, and getting involved in such a lengthy, arduous process. While Omega has long been a fan of video games, this is his first foray behind the scenes.
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‘It was really challenging because I wasn’t sure what I could do, what I would be able to do,’ Omega said. ‘From a creative design standpoint, how I communicate my ideas, are they going to be understood? Is it going to be too off the wall? Are my ideas too broad, too grandiose for the budget? These are things I never knew going into the project.’
It’s been a major learning experience for the tenured wrestler, but it now appear Omega’s part in the game development cycle is ending, with the creative process reportedly almost complete. ‘We know how the matches will flow, we know some of the systems, we know the action and reaction type stuff. It’s now in a process of being tuned and finely tuned from there,’ he said.
So far, AEW: Fight Forever is looking to be an intriguing WWE 2K wrestling game rival, with fresh mechanics and a roster that boasts names like Cody Rhodes (who has since departed for WWE), Chris Jericho, Kenny Omega, Darby Allin, Jungle Boy, Nyla Rose, and other heavy-hitters.
It’s currently targeting a 2022 release date, although the game may slip further into 2023, given development on the title continues.
