Highlights
WWE 2K22 servers will be shut down on January 3, 2024, leading to criticism from fans.
The lifespan of WWE 2K games is decreasing, as seen with the closure of WWE 2K20 servers after 26 months, while WWE 2K19's online modes remained accessible for almost four years. 2K recently confirmed the upcoming shutdown of WWE 2K22 servers, effectively ending all online services for the game that has been around for 18 months. This unexpected announcement has sparked discontent among WWE 2K fans, who wasted no time expressing their dissatisfaction on social media.
Originally launched in March 2022, WWE 2K22 received positive reviews and was well-received by fans. Developed by Visual Concepts, the game continued the mainline series tradition that began with WWE 2K20. Visual Concepts, a California-based subsidiary of 2K, had already worked on several WWE projects alongside Japanese studio Yuke's before taking over the franchise.
Although currently focused on developing WWE 2K24, it seems that some of their efforts will impact the 2022 installment. Starting early next year, online support for WWE 2K22 will be discontinued, with the game's servers being shut down on January 3, 2024. "Now is the perfect time to upgrade," 2K tweeted, suggesting players consider moving on from WWE 2K22, coinciding with the game's 18-month anniversary.
When Are the WWE 2K22 Servers Shutting Down?
January 3, 2024
A vocal portion of the series' fandom was surprised by this turn of events and quickly took to social media to criticize the decision. One fan described the server shutdown as a "poor move," while many others expressed their disappointment in being forced to migrate to WWE 2K23, stating that the newer game offers a worse online multiplayer experience than its predecessor. It is unclear how many people are still regularly playing WWE 2K22 and will be directly affected by this upcoming termination.
Nevertheless, there is no doubt that the game itself was a huge success for 2K. In addition to announcing another sales milestone for GTA 5, Take-Two Interactive's quarterly earnings report in August 2022 revealed that WWE 2K22 had the best launch month of any entry in the franchise in the United States, its core market. Earlier in the year, Games Sales Data reported that WWE 2K22 debuted as the second-best selling title in the United Kingdom, surpassing popular games like Gran Turismo 7 and FIFA 22, and more than doubling the launch sales of its immediate predecessor in the British market.
The lifecycles of WWE 2K games are noticeably getting shorter, although this is not a new occurrence. WWE 2K20 servers were shut down after 26 months, whereas WWE 2K19's online modes remained playable for almost four years. Multiplayer services for both of those titles were discontinued in May 2022.
WWE 2K22 is currently accessible on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
Source: GamesIndustry
