WWE 2K Developers Share How Video Game Was Affected By Vince McMahon-Triple H Shift

The shifting backstage dynamic between WWE Chairman Vince McMahon and his son-in-law, Triple H, has had ripple effects throughout the WWE Universe over the last year. From storylines getting changed, wrestlers' names and appearances changing, and even some formerly fired superstars making dramatic returns, it's inarguable that the company's on-screen landscape has received an in-depth makeover since McMahon first stepped down last summer. It also had an impact on WWE's annual video game, its creators said in a new interview. 

"WWE 2K" Creative Director Lynell Jinks and several other game designers recently opened up about their experience making this year's "WWE 2K23" video game during an interview with the Cultaholic Wrestling podcast. During the conversation, Jinks said that, while nothing changed for the "2K" team's overarching plans for the game, the shifts in WWE's roster over the past few months did force designers to make changes to the game's available characters.

"The difference between '22 and '23 was that for '23, we had the opposite problem. In '22 we had to cut," Jinks explained. "We had two and a half years of development, but the roster was changing, it seemed like, every week. Which created a ton of problems for us, especially with modes like MyRise or the showcase. [We were] trying to figure it out, like, 'Can this person still be in the game even though they're not part of the WWE?' And luckily, WWE did a pretty good job of allowing us to keep certain people that were involved in heavy storylines in some of our modes. But this year was the opposite. A lot of people came back, which was a great thing. So for me, I think I'd rather have that problem than the opposite."

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit Cultaholic Wrestling with an h/t to Wrestling INC.