Tag: fight forever

High-level executive departs AEW

Posted on by Vincent Verhei

It turns out that Powerhouse Hobbs is not the only notable name leaving AEW this week. 

Per a report by Alex McCarthy at Wrestling Intel, AEW has parted ways with Nik Sobic, their Senior Vice President of Business Development, Partnerships, and Video Games.

Sobic had been with All Elite Wrestling since the company’s founding in 2019. He played a large part in the development of the AEW Fight Forever video game released in 2023. Sobic also worked on live events and other operations. 

In a 2023 interview with the AEW Unrestricted podcast, Sobic talked about working on the minigames that were a part of Fight Forever. 

“Not all development meetings are fun, but one of the best and most fun times was the brainstorming meeting for minigames,” he said. “We came up with 100 ideas.”

“I pushed so hard for Shida’s slugfest. It made me happy that Adam Cole liked it too. That one was a little controversial, but it’s my favorite. I’m not capable of being unbiased on that.”

In addition, to AEW, Sobic has also worked for the NFL’s Jacksonville Jaguars and other Khan family enterprises. According to his LinkedIn page, since 2022 he has been the Chief Executive Officer at Vino Dolina, a horse ranch and “future vineyard” in Ponte Vedra, Florida, outside of Jacksonville. 

Tony Khan discusses future of AEW video games

Posted on by Joseph Currier

During his pre-Forbidden Door media call, Tony Khan addressed the future of AEW video games.

AEW released its first console game in 2023 with Fight Forever receiving mixed reviews. There hasn’t been a follow up to the game yet, and it doesn’t sound like there are definitive plans in place for a sequel yet. Khan said he doesn’t know what the future holds for AEW games, but he expects more games will be produced in the future with AEW learning from the feedback it received for Fight Forever to improve the next offering.

“I love pro wrestling, and I’ll be the first to say that I’m not the biggest expert in the world on video gaming. I like to play games, but I’m not the expert,” Khan said. “There are great, great experts in the world about it and I tried to take insight and advice from people in AEW and people around the developers. And absolutely, we learned a lot in the making of the game and could take that in the future, I really believe to make the next game much, much better and learn from the experiences of doing that.

“But I also think that we’re having a great year with our wrestling and our TV, our pay-per-views, and doing all kinds of great things that are our core competencies. It’s a great thought, and it’s a very different question than the ones I’ve been getting asked about the pay-per-view, but it’s a good question. I’m not sure what the future would hold. I do think eventually there will be further AEW forays into gaming, different kinds of games, mobile games, different concepts, different platforms. I can’t say for sure what they’ll all be, because again, like I said, I’ll never claim to be the world’s biggest expert on video gaming. But I like it and I know it’s a huge part of a lot of our fans’ lives. It’s really important to a lot of our fans, and I’m trying to learn from that feedback.”

Yuke’s was the developer for AEW Fight Forever, but there have been reports that AEW is considering working with a different developer for its next game when and if it happens.

There have also been a few AEW mobile games released throughout the promotion’s history, including Rise to the Top, Figure Fighters, and Elite GM.

AEW announces release date for Fight Forever video game

Posted on by Joseph Currier

AEW’s Fight Forever video game finally has an official release date.

It was announced today that Fight Forever will be released on Thursday, June 29. The game will be available on PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X and S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC.

The announcement was made via a video from Kenny Omega.

“Quite some time ago, we announced our first foray into the video game world: AEW Fight Forever,” Omega said. “We wanted to develop an arcade experience that was fun, easy to pick up and play but difficult to master. We believe that AEW and our partners with Yuke’s have created just that experience.”

Fight Forever is rated T for Teen due to blood, violence, language, mild suggestive themes, and use of alcohol and tobacco.

The following match types are included in the game: singles matches, tag team, three-way, four-way, Casino Battle Royale, falls count anywhere, unsanctioned lights out, and exploding barbed wire death matches.

Fight Forever also features a career mode, online multiplayer, and will have customizable wrestlers, move-sets, entrances, teams, and arenas.

In a press release, Tony Khan commented on the game’s upcoming release:

Since our initial announcement, fans worldwide have shown unbridled passion around the launch of Fight Forever, and AEW has proven through our exciting storylines and hard-hitting wrestling action that good things come to those who wait. With Fight Forever, Kenny and our world-class team have delivered an authentic, nostalgic feel of wrestling games past, along with the unmatched creativity that AEW brings to the table. It’s going to be cool to see our fans finally getting a fresh and much-needed alternative next-gen console wrestling game on June 29. AEW has the greatest fans on the planet, and I’m excited for them to experience this new way to engage with our stars.

The video game was first announced in November 2020. It’s in collaboration with Geta, Yuke’s, and THQ Nordic.

GCW announces Fight Forever 24-hour telethon event

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Game Changer Wrestling has announced a 24-hour digital telethon event that will take place in late January.

Joey Janela came out during tonight’s Good Riddance pre-show event and announced that the promotion will be holding a 24-hour telethon called Fight Forever. The show will stream live for free starting on January 29 at 8 pm ET and will run through January 30 at 8 pm ET. It will be a closed set event.

The press release noted that GCW “will partner with individual talent to book curated programming blocks over the course of the telethon.” Matches and participating wrestlers will be announced over the next few weeks.

“Independent wrestling is built on the passion and dedication of its talented performers,” GCW promoter Brett Lauderdale said in the press release. “Their sacrifice fuels our industry. These athletes need support, and with no immediate end in sight to the current circumstances, FIGHT FOREVER is a historic opportunity for the wrestling community to come together and have their back when they need it the most.”

100% of the donations during the telethon will be given to the performers. Seed funding for the event has been donated by Orange Crush: The Journal of Art and Wrestling.