WWE 2K18, the next instalment in the WWE 2K video game series is expected to be released in October 2017. With the constantly evolving roster of the WWE, each year’s 2K release comes with heavy speculation about which superstar talent will grace the cover and who will be added as playable characters.
The previous edition, WWE 2K17, gave users the option of choosing from 156 unique superstars and 16 alternate versions. It was also the first time Brock Lesnar was featured on the video game cover since 2003, and the game’s marketing and storyline centered heavily around the inclusion of Goldberg as The Beast’s main opponent– preceding the real-life return of the WCW legend to the WWE in October 2016 and a feud between the two that stretched from Survivor Series to WrestleMania.
Videos by PopCulture.com
So who will take the coveted cover honor this year? AJ Styles, Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, and Kevin Owens are all popular choices from the WWE roster’s top talent. Perhaps a dark horse with more recent heat in the product, such as Finn Balor, Shinsuke Nakamura, or even Jinder Mahal will be the new face of the game series. Or, in a year of historic firsts for the Women’s Revolution, could we see a female superstar (perhaps Alexa Bliss or Charlotte Flair) represent the brand?
And with all the talent that has debuted and returned in the past year, which superstars can we expect to see added to the 2K18 character roster?
Up Next: Rumors of WWE Theme Park Take Shape
Kurt Angle can be expected, after returning to WWE this past April and headlining the 2017 Hall of Fame before taking up the position of General Manager of Monday Night Raw. 2K may employ the same strategy as they did in past with Goldberg, Sting, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Ultimate Warrior and announce Angle as a pre-order bonus character, rather than including him in the regular roster.
Matt and Jeff Hardy are another likely bet, as The Hardy Boyz have been a constant presence in the tag division since their surprise return at this year’s WrestleMania. Due to ongoing rights issues, don’t expect to see them in their “Broken” condition. Although 2K18 could update the characters or add alternate versions by releasing DLCs if the Broken Universe does come to RAW.
The cruiserweight division and 205 Live are also new developments expected to be included in 2K18 The superstars expected to be included in the cruiserweight division are Akira Tozawa, The Brian Kendrick, Ariya Daivari, Cedric Alexander, Drew Gulak, Jack Gallagher, TJP, Rich Swann, Tony Nese, Noam Dar and Mustafa Ali.
It’s a safe bet we’ll see Jinder Mahal and James Ellsworth added to the mix, with the possible additions of fellow rising mid-carders Curt Hawkins, Elias Sampson, Rhyno and Heath Slater. Recent WWE UK Tournament Champions Tyler Bates and Pete Dunne could also make the cut, as well as any number of NXT stars.
It certainly looks like this year’s WWE 2K game will boast the biggest roster yet. Expect more announcements regarding the game to take place at E3, which is set to take place in Los Angeles starting June 10th.
[H/T Sportskeeda]
