'WWE Legends of Wrestlemania' Announced
What can THQ do to revive its fledgling wrestling series, Smackdown vs. Raw? To fans of the franchise, SvR hasn't changed much in the last few years, save for the roster and the ability to wrestle for a title without going through career mode. And counting on a roster to sell a title leaves each iteration subject to the sudden changes within the wrestlers' ranks.
Keep in mind that 'SMACKDOWN Vs. RAW 09' should almost be finished and WWE is still featuring the same roster of talent as last year minus a few recognizable players like Bobby Lashley, Marcus Cor Von and Booker T. Will Santino Marella, Cody Rhodes and Kofi Kingston be exciting enough to take their place? I wouldn't even make those guys in Create-A-Wrestler mode. How about the returning Chris Jericho or Big Show? You couldn't possibly be compelled by minor cosmetic changes in hair length and weight, respectively, could you?
So, how do you reinvent a wrestling product that relies so heavily on recognizable talent? Put all of the most recognizable WWE superstars into one game.
Next year THQ is pushing to bring a unique brand of excitement to the WWE franchise with 'Legends of WrestleMania.'
Joining the distinguished WWE SmackDown/SmackDown vs. Raw franchise, which has shipped more than 37 million units worldwide since 2000, 'WWE Legends of WrestleMania' is scheduled for release in March 2009 to coincide with the annual pinnacle of sports entertainment, WrestleMania 25, in Houston, Texas."We have generated significant year-over-year growth in key global territories with WWE-licensed videogames, including tremendous success with the WWE SmackDown vs. Raw franchise," said Peter Matiss, vice president, global brand management, THQ. "The development capabilities afforded by next generation hardware, combined with our established history and deep understanding of fighting videogames, allow us to leverage the strength of the WWE brand to further extend our leadership in the fighting videogame genre and bring this new property to market."
"JAKKS Pacific is pleased to introduce a new WWE videogame property to the fighting genre," said Nelo Lucich, senior vice president of interactive, JAKKS Pacific. "The WWE SmackDown vs. Raw franchise has captured a collective audience of WWE fans, game enthusiasts and casual players, and we are confident that WWE Legends of WrestleMania will be poised for great success."
No further information has been released about the game, but you can bet it will highlight many of the hidden/legend characters from prior games. Stone Cold, The Rock, Mick Foley, Ric Flair, Eddie Guerrero, Jake the Snake, Sgt. Slaughter and the like have been included in several iterations already and can most likely be counted for the LoW title. Toss some current legends-in-the-making like Triple H, The Undertaker, Shawn Michaels and the golden boy himself, John Cena, and it might make for a decent interim title until SvR 10.
But with WWE's licensing agreement with THQ-Jakks running through 2009, could 'Legends of WrestleMania' be THQ's swan song with the WWE?
