InWWE SmackDown! vs. Raw 2006, wrestling fans were introduced to General Manager mode. Instead of focusing on in-ring action, General Manager mode allowed players to take on the General Manager role for theRaw and SmackDown brands, drafting superstars, booking matches, managing contracts, and handling other issues with the ultimate goal of becoming the General Manager of the Year.
General Manager mode proved popular enough that it appeared yet again inSmackDown vs. Raw 2007and made its final appearance inWWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2008. WhileSmackDown vs. Raw 2008received generally mixed reviews when compared to other games in the series, it did receive some praise for its GM Mode, which made numerous improvements when compared to previous iterations of the feature.
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One of the most significant improvements to the General Manager mode inWWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2008was the addition of the ECW brand. This allowed up to three players to have control of their own wrestling show, competing with one another to win the coveted General Manager of the Year award. It also allowed for players to make more decisions in regards to how their shows were run and gave them ways to improve their superstars' performance between events.
Despite the mode’s popularity, the decision was made to remove General Manager mode starting withSmackDown vs. Raw 2009, and it’s never reappeared since. Every year,fans ask for the newWWEvideo game to bring General Manager mode back, only for each game to come and go with no GM mode. However, the upcomingWWE 2K22game may prove to be the perfect time to bring the fan favorite game mode back to the franchise.
Three Brands
One of the reasons why General Manager mode worked in previousWWEvideo games was thanks to the brand warfare between Raw and SmackDown. Eventually, WWE stopped focusing on the brand warfare element between the shows, and for a few years, even had them share rosters. But WWE has gone back to having separate brands in recent years, with Raw having its own distinct roster, SmackDown having its own distinct roster, andNXT having its own distinct rosteras well.
Establishing NXT as a viable third brand for the company instead of just being a developmental territory is a big deal, and it would allow the developers to recreate the three-player gameplay fromWWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2008while still replicating modern-day WWE television. One player could be the GM of Raw, another the GM of SmackDown, and the third the GM of NXT. Like previous iterations of the mode, all three brands could participate in a draft to bring superstars to their roster, book shows, etc.
Of course, there was never a real reasons why 3-player GM mode couldn’t have existed before. WWE owns the right to both WCW and ECW, so ifWWE 2K22wanted to, it could recreate the Attitude Era and have players pitting the three major US promotions at the time against one another.
Regardless, WWE right now has three brands, which meansWWE 2K22could do the same for General Manager mode and still accurately reflect the current product.
Make Amends
It’s no secret thatWWE 2K20was not well-received. In fact,WWE 2K20was universally panned by criticsand fans alike. The backlash toWWE 2K20was so severe that the developers were given an extra year to work onWWE 2K22, skippingWWE 2K21entirely, which is virtually unheard of in the world of annual sports game releases. Many fans felt burned byWWE 2K20, butWWE 2K22is the chance for 2K Sports to make amends with a crowd-pleasing new entry in the series.
TheWWE 2K22teaser trailer that debuted at WrestleMania 37didn’t reveal much about the new game. It showed a brief clip of Rey Mysterio doing his entrance and hitting Cesaro with a 619, showcasing a significant visual improvement for the new game along with what appeared to be smoother animations. However, it’s still far too early to make any kind of judgment call about the quality ofWWE 2K22.
A stable wrestling game with minimal game-breaking bugs would go a long way in making it up to fans who weren’t happy withWWE 2K20, but the return of General Manager mode would accomplish a lot as well. It would create the kind of positive buzz that 2K Sports no doubt wants for the next entry in thelong-runningWWE 2Kfranchise, and may even convince some lapsed players to give the series another shot.
It’s entirely possible that a General Manager mode is going to be inWWE 2K22, but nothing official has been announced. None of the features or game modes forWWE 2K22have been revealed at the time of this writing, but more should come to light in the coming months.
WWE 2K22is in development for unspecified platforms.
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