It has become a tradition for WWE 2K game servers to shut down a few months after the release of the next generation. WWE 2K22 will follow the same tradition. The developer behind the franchise, 2K Games, announced through the game’s official handle on X social media platform that the server would be discontinued early next year.
“Attention WWE 2K community,” the tweet shared on September 29 began. “WWE 2K22 servers will be discontinued as of January 3rd, 2024. All online modes & functions, including online matches & community Creations, will no longer be available.”
To avoid losing any of their saves and progress, the developers said, “Now is the perfect time to upgrade to #WWE2k23”. Furthermore, the developers thanked the community for their support of the franchise.
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Well, the reactions to that announcement were far from pleasant. RaSaan Harris (@Vjplatinum) said, “This sucks. I still use 2K22 to this day to build my 2K23 content. Please don’t let me down WWE 2K24.”
Justfilthy (@justfilthygamin) said, “Na 2K22 is a better game in my opinion. I don’t use online anyway so I’ll keep playing 2K22.”
Scrolling through the over 400 comments left on the announcement, we could hardly find people who spoke in favor of the announcement. However, it is obvious that the shutdown will go on—in keeping with the game’s tradition—regardless of what some gamers may think.
WWE 2K22 servers are the shortest-lived so far in the franchise’s history
One disturbing trend we discovered is how the life cycle of WWE game servers is becoming shorter. The decline in the lifespan of the game’s servers has been progressive since WWE 2K19. Following this trend, it is likely that WWE 2K23 will have a shorter server life span.
For the sake of clarity, WWE 2K19 online support was only discontinued after 45 months of the game’s release. Its successor WWE 2K20 enjoyed only 32 months of online support, shaving off a massive 13 months of online support from the former game. The recent announcement shows that WWE 2K22 will enjoy only 22 months of server support.
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For some unknown reason, WWE 2K21 was not released. It was the first time in two decades that the franchise had nothing to offer. However, since 2020 was a challenging year that the world had to deal with a pandemic, the lack of a new title can be pinned on the pandemic.
When WWE 2K22 was released in March 2022, it ended a 29-month wait for a new entry in the series. However, instead of the usual October release window, it began a new cycle of March releases—not as if most gamers complained.
WWE 2K22 enjoyed a mostly favorable reception as recorded on Metacritic, a review aggregation site. It earned 78 points on Xbox Series X, 77 on PS5, 76 on PS4, and 72 on PC. WWE 2K23 enjoyed even better reception, bagging 82 points on PS5 and 81 points on Xbox Series X. It scored the lowest of 79 points on PC.
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While some fans hate the idea of upgrading to WWE 2K23, this year’s release added WarGames mode. The mode offers 4v4 and 3v3 fights in a giant two-ring build encased in a steel cage. Also, it comes with a new Showcase mode that focuses on John Cena’s 20-year history.
What’s your take on the declining server lifespan of WWE 2K games? Share your thoughts in the comment box below.
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