Unleashing Unparalleled Challenges: Why WWE 2K24 Must Reflect the Intensity of Real Life Matches

When Rhea Ripley made history by winning the Women's Royal Rumble in 2023 from the #1 position, she became the first woman ever to achieve this feat, joining an elite group of only four wrestlers, including Shawn Michaels and Edge. Notably, these victories have been few and far between, occurring in 1995, 2004, and 2021. Edge, now competing for AEW, broke a 17-year drought to claim the victory, highlighting the immense difficulty of this match type. However, WWE 2K gamers may find the experience much less challenging, calling for improvements in WWE 2K24 to better emulate the real-life struggle and provide a more satisfying gaming experience.

Admittedly, players can increase the difficulty setting in WWE 2K23 for a more challenging Royal Rumble experience. Yet, it remains one of the easiest match types overall, which fails to accurately capture the intensity of the actual event, especially considering the significance it holds. In the game, players can simply team up with others to easily eliminate opponents by pushing them out of the ring. Additionally, executing basic moves like a clothesline, an Irish Whip with a hit on the ropes, or a simple carry elimination renders the game mode simplistic and lacking in excitement.

WWE 2K: The Royal Rumble is Too Formulaic

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WWE 2K games follow an iterative approach, where mechanics introduced in one match type or game mode can pave the way for others. For instance, the inclusion of multiple referees in WarGames could potentially lead to the inclusion of Special Referee matches without relying on the Community Creations feature. If WWE 2K24 were to specifically focus on improving the Royal Rumble, it could lay a strong foundation for future enhancements. Increasing the difficulty level is crucial and can be achieved through simple mechanic adjustments, such as restricting certain moves when the opponent has a certain level of stamina remaining. Another method would be to expand the limit on the number of characters allowed in a match, although this may be easier said than done.

Currently, there is a high possibility of quickly eliminating a participant before the next entrant enters the ring, making it relatively easier to win from the #1 position. To enhance the challenge, it would be beneficial to establish specific conditions for eliminations and ensure that players find themselves amidst a crowded ring. Currently, the limit is set at eight participants, but in a WWE 2K23 Royal Rumble, it is unlikely to witness that number of participants in the ring, especially for those solely focused on winning. By increasing this cap further (as it used to be six prior to WWE 2K19-ish), the difficulty level would escalate as players would have to battle to eliminate opponents and avoid being eliminated themselves. This would be a significant improvement, but one additional step could make this increased difficulty and extended gameplay duration more manageable.

Current WWE 2K games lack the various elements that make a real-world Royal Rumble unique. Implementing these elements in WWE 2K24 would be highly beneficial. In the actual event, many wrestlers often find themselves resting under the ropes, making them less threatening. While players can take advantage of this, it doesn't make logical sense for these wrestlers to be the biggest threat. Allowing players and AI to rest properly with some protection would greatly enhance the realism of the match. Additionally, it's quite common for wrestlers to slip out of the bottom rope to avoid elimination or for dramatic effect. Including this aspect in the game would increase the challenge and engagement of the Royal Ruumble match type.

Historically, only four WWE superstars have won the Royal Rumble from the #1 position. However, achieving this feat is incredibly easy in the video games. Adding more significance and intensity to the Royal Rumble, perhaps by incorporating it into WWE 2K24's MyRise mode or MyGM Mode, would greatly improve the overall experience. If not in WWE 2K24, Visual Concepts should definitely consider this for future iterations of the franchise.

WWE 2K24 is not confirmed to be in development.