Raw 2006 used the aforementioned control scheme. Most of the later games, from WWF SmackDown! 2: Know Your Role to WWE SmackDown vs. The first game in the series, WWF SmackDown! had a clear cut system for moves such as combining an arrow key with the circle button for grappling and moves and combining an arrow key with the X button for striking moves. WWE 2K20 was instead developed by Visual Concepts, who had worked on previous games. 2019's WWE 2K20 became the first game under the 2K banner not to be developed by Yuke's. In early 2016, WWE and 2K signed an agreement to extend 2K's licence of the series, exact details of which are unknown. WWE 2K14 was the first game to be released under the 2K brand. Take-Two confirmed the acquisition in February, saying that it would also retain the services of Yuke's and the THQ staff that worked on the WWE series. The series was later renamed as just simply WWE, starting from 20.Īfter THQ's dissolution in January 2013, it was reported that the publishing rights for the WWE video game series were acquired by Take-Two Interactive. Raw 2006, THQ took over as the Japanese publisher and the Japanese releases adopted the western name. Yuke's had also released the games in Japan under the name of Exciting Pro Wrestling. Within a few years, the series had expanded to a yearly release cycle for various seventh-generation consoles as well as mobile devices. Raw in 2004, to indicate the Raw brand was also featured. After the brand extension, the series was retitled SmackDown! vs. The first release in the series was WWF SmackDown! in March 2000, which along with these subsequent titles, remained exclusive to Sony's PlayStation consoles.

The series was originally named SmackDown!, after WWE's own SmackDown television program. During the Wrestlers' entrances (whether solo tag team or trio tag team) the commentary is expanded to an extensive library of words relative to the real life counterparts of WWE superstars. The in-game announcer calls out the names when selecting the wrestler beginning in WWE 2K17 and continues through WWE 2K18 (not in WWE 2K19 or 2K20) as for the in game render photos in the 2K19 title, the wrestlers stand still without posing differently than the previous two installments. Beginning with WWE '12, promotion render art photos were used up to WWE 2K16 from WWE 2K17 on, the promotion render art was replaced with in-game rendering to accommodate created characters to lessen loading times. Technical limitations had occurred through the series which lead the developers to adjust custom characters while loading. An improvement done yearly by Yuke's with each release of a WWE 2K game is the polygon count for the 3D models of the superstars in each game. Along with the features, the developers have to test the game for any errors. When new features are added to WWE 2K games, developers have to create new gaming codes for the features. Raw 2007 was released for more than one console, Yuke's had to port their original game codes that make up each game mode and graphic designs to a new game engine that supported the new consoles. Yuke's studios in Yokohama, Japan, worked with WWE writers to create storylines for the season modes of each game. With the exception of WWE SmackDown! Here Comes the Pain, pre-recorded commentary by WWE commentators has been included in each game since the release of WWF SmackDown! Just Bring It. WWE superstars record a script, which is then assigned to the voice of the corresponding superstar in the game. Voice over, however, was included in season mode with the release of WWE SmackDown! vs. Raw, the only communication possible in season mode was through subtitles. The game engine was originally based on the one used by the Japanese professional wrestling video game series Toukon Retsuden, which was also developed by Yuke's. From 2000 to 2012, the publisher was THQ. The games feature WWE match types, storylines and wrestlers.Įvery game produced in the WWE 2K series until 2019 was developed by Yuke's and Visual Concepts, and published by 2K Sports. The premise of each game in the series is to emulate the sport of professional wrestling, more specifically that of WWE, and present improvements over the previous installments. It was then co-developed by Yuke's and Visual Concepts from WWE 2K14 until WWE 2K20, when Yuke's had left the development team.

Yuke's was the sole developer of the games prior to 2K14. Raw, or simply the WWE series, is a series of professional wrestling sports video games developed and released annually since 2000. WWE 2K, formerly known as the WWF/E SmackDown! series, SmackDown vs. Visual Concepts (Supporting developers: 2013–2018 Sole developer: 2019–present)

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