With the Royal Rumble and Wrestlemania events on the horizon, WWE is approaching their biggest season of the year. Along the way, WWE 2K22 is set to release and will hopefully boost the hype through this period. WWE lost a lot of goodwill with fans in 2021 with the multiple waves of releases, but it's looking to come into 2022 with all guns blazing.
With WWE 2K22's cover star and roster reveals on the horizon, fans are going to be looking closely at what 2K has to offer, following the disastrous release of WWE 2K20 and the underwhelming WWE 2K Battlegrounds. One of the ways it has already sought to please fans is by bringing back the oft-requested GM Mode in the form of MyGM.
What Is GM Mode?
General Manager Mode (GM Mode, for short) was a feature in the Smackdown vs Raw games for the PS2, developed by THQ from 2006 to 2008, and it was a huge hit. The mode varied slightly over the years, but the basic structure saw the player take control of one of the game's major shows: Raw, Smackdown or, in later games, ECW. They then competed against the other shows to get the highest TV ratings and the biggest profits.
There was a lot of love shown for this feature from fans of the inner workings of WWE. While the competition between brands is largely fiction, getting to draft a roster, pick the champions, and book the shows let fans get a taste of what running a wrestling show is like. Games like Total Extreme Wrestling offer this on an extremely in-depth level, but GM Mode took care of the fiddly admin that most players don't want to deal with.
Ever since it was removed, fans have been desperate for it to return. Eventually, Universe Mode came along, which many players like, as they have complete control over everything. However, there was no competitive element to it. Players could book their own shows and make their own stories, but with no TV ratings or finances to balance, a large chunk of the player base was left unsatisfied.
What GM Mode's Return Means for the WWE 2K Franchise
First and foremost, it means that Visual Concepts is listening to the fanbase in a way it hasn't in a while. Shortly after WWE 2K20 was panned by fans and critics, the developer took to Reddit and polled the fans there on what they wanted to see from the franchise going forward. GM Mode was by far the most requested feature in that poll, and it's now clear that the team took it to heart, as the mode was front-and-center of the most recent reveals.
This goes a long way to restoring some of the lost faith in the franchise after it started to stagnate, not to mention restoring WWE's faith in 2K. While all of the top requested features might not make it into WWE 2K22, if just some of them are implemented, fans will know they're being listened to and will be more patient during the next release cycle. MyGM mode is a way of showing fans that their input matters, and even if features like old match types or custom music aren't in this game, they may very well be in the works for the next.
Another critical thing to note is that current beloved features, like Universe Mode, aren't being removed in MyGM's wake. Although the two modes have a lot of similarities on the surface, the fact that both modes will be in the game means the team understands how they appeal to different players. Universe Mode is for people who like to manage every aspect and tell stories, while MyGM mode is for those who want to have goals and competition.
Showing an understanding of why players like these aspects is crucial to making sure they're high quality. Combined with things like WWE 2K22's overhauled engine and new controls, fans should have plenty of faith that this incarnation of GM mode will be worth the decade-long wait for its return.
WWE 2K22 releases in March for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.