THE BIG GAME WWE 2K16
LADIES’ FIGHT STONE Cold Steve Austin may be on the cover, but WWE 2K16 isn’t all about the male wrestlers. The female Divas also have their biggest presence to date, as director of brand marketing for WWE at 2K Games, Bryce Yang, explains. “There are more Divas in this year’s game than we’ve had in the series so far,” he says. “The presentation of Divas and women in wrestling is changing very quickly. You can point to a number of figures, but Ronda Rousey has been very pivotal in that. It’s ushered in a change. Certainly the women in NXT [WWE division featuring up-and-coming wrestlers] – Sasha Banks and Bayley
expect. Then you have all the greatest hits: Andre the Giant, Ultimate Warrior, Macho Man Randy Savage, all the stars of the Attitude Era and into the currentday major names.” Stone Cold is an obvious crowd-pleaser for dedicated wrestling fans but, as one of the most well-known names in the sport’s history, Yang is confident even casual followers will be drawn into giving WWE 2K16 a go. “Steve Austin is the biggest star ever in WWE, so you’re reaching a wider fan base,” he says. “During the Attitude Era there were a lot of mainstream fans of WWE and we’ve got the guys helping attract those people as well.” MATCHES MADE IN HEAVEN Even Stone Cold Steve Austin may not be the most widely-recognisable wrestler entering the ring this year.
October 23rd 2015
probably had the best wrestling match in WWE all year at NXT TakeOver in Brooklyn.” Yang adds that the recent discussion surrounding female representation in games has contributed to the Divas’ growing presence in the WWE series. “It’s definitely something we’re taking note of,” he responds. “Things like Create a Diva are back in the game this year, which was not in WWE 2K15. Then you have a solid representation of the Divas on the roster and in the DLC packs you have Medusa and Alundra Blayze, as well. It’s something that I definitely see moving forward, especially as they have a bigger role in both NXT and WWE.”
Social media was sent into fervent excitement earlier this year following the announcement that action film star Arnold Schwarzenegger would be making a cameo as his iconic killing machine, The Terminator, in the form of bonus add-on content for early buyers. “Our pre-order fans are our most devoted fans in many ways,” Yang observes. “Even before the big announcements, whether it’s Arnold or Sting or Mike Tyson or whoever we’ve got over the years, those guys will run and buy the game before launch. “The pre-order story is my favourite one every year, because it’s always been a big surprise and we’ve gotten to do a lot of firsts with this franchise. The first time you’ll see Arnold in a ring wrestling is as The Terminator in WWE 2K16, which is something that can only happen through the magic of video games.
WWE 2K16 is the first time you’ll see Arnold Schwarzenegger in a ring wrestling as The Terminator. Bryce Yang, 2K Games
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“The reception to Arnold has been fantastic. He’s been a great ambassador for WWE and our game, as well. He filmed a commercial a few months back that we released, and helped us promote the game through interviews and social media.” The roster may be sizeable to begin with, but The Terminator won’t be the last character to join WWE 2K16’s line-up. “In terms of post-launch content, we’re offering a number of different things for both newer and older fans,” details Yang. “There’s a Hall of Fame showcase in there, where you have a lot of the great names from the past year that you would expect and also some that you wouldn’t. “There are a lot of great moves that have been added, too – a number of awesome manoeuvres that you might not see on TV every day. There are loads of great characters and postrelease content.”
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