Post by chainz on May 7, 2004 19:52:40 GMT -5
May 05, 2004 - The Toy Headquarters unleashed some huge news today as it revealed exclusively through IGN its future publishing plans for the company's WWE wrestling franchises. Announcing a total of three games in all, THQ not only addressed the question of when gamers can expect its next batch of grappling titles, but has also settled the question of what these titles are going to be called.
Immediately at the top of the announcement list was the revelation of the all-new Smackdown! title, WWE Smackdown! vs. Raw. Once again developed by the team at Yuke's, this sixth installment of mega-selling franchise will feature abundance of new options and games modes; with a particular attention paid to improving on the graphics for a more realistic presentation. Sadly, no other information was revealed and will be kept a closely guarded secret until after E3, but at least we know when it's coming out -- near the end of October/beginning of November.
On the Xbox side of things, THQ also confirmed that it has done away with its Raw franchise altogether and has instead replaced it with the former GameCube property, WrestleMania. To be more formally known as WWE WrestleMania XXI, the game will not only boast an all-new developer (Studio Gigante of Tao Feng fame), it will also introduce plenty of original game modes and improved television style visuals. Expect to see it debut simultaneously with the WrestleMania XXI event next year.
The final game on the list is the all-new Game Boy Advance SKU, WWE Survivor Series. The first game for the GBA WWE title in two years, Survivor Series should boast a ton of new features over its predecessor in addition to a variety of match types. No other details other than its release date (Holiday 2004) were given.
Fans hopeful that they'll see any of these games at the 2004 Electronic Entertainment Expo next week, however, may be in for a bit of a disappointment; as none of them will be there. "We'll only be showing WWE: Day of Reckoning behind closed doors this year," said the THQ representative we spoke with. "But we have big, big plans for the other three games after E3."
The good news is that your friends here at IGN will once again be the preeminent location for all future WWE videogame info. So don't forget to check back with us on a regular basis -- as there's no telling when we'll be back with some more surprise announcements.
Immediately at the top of the announcement list was the revelation of the all-new Smackdown! title, WWE Smackdown! vs. Raw. Once again developed by the team at Yuke's, this sixth installment of mega-selling franchise will feature abundance of new options and games modes; with a particular attention paid to improving on the graphics for a more realistic presentation. Sadly, no other information was revealed and will be kept a closely guarded secret until after E3, but at least we know when it's coming out -- near the end of October/beginning of November.
On the Xbox side of things, THQ also confirmed that it has done away with its Raw franchise altogether and has instead replaced it with the former GameCube property, WrestleMania. To be more formally known as WWE WrestleMania XXI, the game will not only boast an all-new developer (Studio Gigante of Tao Feng fame), it will also introduce plenty of original game modes and improved television style visuals. Expect to see it debut simultaneously with the WrestleMania XXI event next year.
The final game on the list is the all-new Game Boy Advance SKU, WWE Survivor Series. The first game for the GBA WWE title in two years, Survivor Series should boast a ton of new features over its predecessor in addition to a variety of match types. No other details other than its release date (Holiday 2004) were given.
Fans hopeful that they'll see any of these games at the 2004 Electronic Entertainment Expo next week, however, may be in for a bit of a disappointment; as none of them will be there. "We'll only be showing WWE: Day of Reckoning behind closed doors this year," said the THQ representative we spoke with. "But we have big, big plans for the other three games after E3."
The good news is that your friends here at IGN will once again be the preeminent location for all future WWE videogame info. So don't forget to check back with us on a regular basis -- as there's no telling when we'll be back with some more surprise announcements.
