These WWE 2K games to shut down

"WWE 2K22" is the next game in the wrestling franchise, and it's coming out next month. In a move that seems to be pretty typical of this genre, the publisher of this installment—WWE—has decided to shut down two previous entries of the franchise as it shifts attention to 2K22. The games being killed off are "WWE 2K15" and "WWE 2K14," which both came out in 2014. This isn't the first time this has happened in the WWE gaming world: "WWE '13" was also closed down by its publisher last year, with "WWE 2K14" taking its place.

For years now, there have been two different big players in the WWE games industry: Yuke's and Visual Concepts. Visual Concepts is responsible for various entries of the series on PlayStation consoles, but only one entry of the series on Xbox consoles (this year's "WWE 2K16"). Yuke's is responsible for every iteration of the series on Xbox consoles (including this year's "2K16"), as well as all versions of the game on Nintendo systems and various other platforms. 

For fans of the WWE, it might be hard to swallow the news that two previous entries of the franchise are soon to be shut down. The games were huge successes for 2K, but the game developer is shifting its attention to a new entry in the series: 2K22. The move isn't out of disrespect for the previous games—they were just reaching the end of their usefulness as technology advances. After all, it's been a full six years since the release of 2K15, and three since 2K16. Both games were great at their time, but there are only so many ways you can update a game with each generation.

2K22 is going to be a massive undertaking. It's being built from scratch with the latest tech available and is being helmed by some of the most talented developers in gaming today. Some gamers are skeptical about 2K22 because they feel like having a whole new team on board will lead to a major shift away from what made 2K15 and 2K16 great; others have been sucked into rumors of what features will be included or absent in the new game. 

WWE games inform fans about the closure of two older games of the series

The most recent WWE games from 2K and Yuke's have included a section in their menus that announces the discontinuation of two older games in the series, "WWE Legends of WrestleMania" and "WWE All-Stars." While some fans might be dismayed by that news, they should take note that it is only the arcade versions of these games that are being discontinued, which means the main console versions of the games will still be available for purchase. The 2K press release announcing the news points out that in addition to those two games, all other WWE titles from THQ are also discontinued. This includes the WWE Universe mode from "SvR 2010" and all related downloadable content for the game.

A few months ago, 2K Sports announced that they would be discontinuing their WWE games series, along with the much-loved "WWE '13" and "WWE 2K14". The news came as a shock to many WWE fans. However, it turns out that there is a silver lining to this story- both "WWE '13" and "WWE 2K14" will be available on digital platforms like PSN and Xbox Live. Although these are only the latest in a long line of WWE video games, they are sure to bring back some fond childhood memories for many fans who enjoyed the series during its heyday.

This news may have made a lot of people happy but you wouldn't know it from reading various online forums like Reddit or NeoGAF. These two communities have been buzzing with rumors about the reason behind the loss of the series. Some say that it was due to poor sales while others claim that it was because of internal politics within WWE itself. Nothing seems to be confirmed at this moment but one thing is for sure: there are plenty of angry fans out there who are not ready to let go