New WWE Franchise Coming

CVG has revealed that THQ is prepping a brand new WWE gaming franchise for next next year.  This will bring the total number of WWE brands up to four – with Smackdown! Vs Raw, WWE All Stars and the Asia only Smackdown! Vs Raw Online already out in the wild.

THQ core games boss Danny Bilson had the following to say;

“[Smackdown! Vs Raw Online] is for Asia.  I don’t think there’s any chance of that coming to the US or Europe, not soon anyway. We don’t want to confuse Smackdown Vs. Raw! [the brand] with that online free-to-play game.

That’s a big, expensive title, Smackdown Vs. Raw! – we will not do any cannibalisation of it at all. The online game is also designed uniquely for Asian playing habits and it would probably have to be modified creatively to bring it to the West.

So there’s no plan to bring it here – because what we do have a plan for on that brand is what you saw with All Stars. And next year you’ll see another new extension there in another way – that’s just as exciting as All Stars, but a little different. We’re not talking about that yet.

We’re growing that brand basically through an alternate SKU every six months – the other SKUs [All-Stars and the unannounced game] are more friendly, easier and less simmy than Smackdown! Vs Raw.”

I’ll hold my hands up; I’ve not enjoyed a wrestling game since ‘No Mercy’ and ‘Wrestlemania 2000′ on the Nintendo 64.  I felt that every new game after that added more content, but lost a bit of the fun factor.  It will be interesting to see how this new franchise pans out.

Source: CVG