It has been mixed to say the least about AEW Fight Forever. It’s absolutely true that the fledgling wrestling promotion’s first attempt at video games has captured the magic of WWF No Mercy and early SmackDown. As far as I can remember, it’s very different from what WWE has offered in the past, and that’s exactly what it needed to be.
As a whole, the game is lacking. Having tried its various match types, minigames, and Road To Elite with two different wrestlers, I see no reason to keep playing.
Having seen everything the game has to offer, and without a Universe-style sandbox or GM mode for me to keep me interested, just two weeks after its release, it already seems likely that I won’t play it again.
Two wrestlers have already been announced as DLC for the game, desperately needed as the roster is pretty small and already outdated due to the length of time the game has been in development.
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Stadium Stampede, an update coming to Fight Forever free of charge, looks like it offers more than a couple of extra wrestlers could ever offer.
You can check out the trailer for it above before continuing reading. Much like AEW’s Stadium Stampede matches, Fight Forever’s take on the concept looks insane.
Fight Forever’s Stadium Stampede lets you shoot people off goalposts or trample them with horses. You know, typical wrasslin’ stuff.
THQ Nordic’s hangman page with a horse trampling people in an aew fight forever
I’ve noticed something else wild going on in the background every time I’ve watched the trailer, even though it’s only 30 seconds long. Scorpio Sky also throws himself into a bunch of unused chairs on a balcony, which I haven’t been able to figure out yet.
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The game seems to be Fight Forever’s own take on the already-saturated battle royale genre, but I’m not complaining.
Also, it’s free to download, though the trailer doesn’t specify whether it’s only for Fight Forever owners or if, like Warzone, you don’t need the base game to play it.
To really distinguish itself from WWE 2K23, Fight Forever needed to be more than what it was at launch. Its limited choices meant it didn’t meet that bare minimum for many people, including myself.
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Stadium Stampede might have jumped over that bar if it had been included at launch. It was the perfect No Mercy tribute cake, taking it from something you’ll play for a week and never touch again to something you think about every day.
Christian Cage sends Ricky Starks into the barbed wire to cause an explosion in AEW: Fight Forever.
Since it was shown off soon after Fight Forever’s release, the window of opportunity remains open.
I know I’ll be diving back in if Stadium Stampede is released soon. It currently has no release date.
I understand why AEW and Yuke’s felt the need to simply release the game, as frustrating as it can be to watch a studio show off what’s to come.
Wrestling fans, used to getting a new WWE game every year, were growing impatient after hearing about it at the tail end of 2019.
Fight Forever needed to be released in passable shape, hoped people would stick with it, and then expanded upon in the months that followed.
In AEW: Fight Forever, Hobbs hits Wardlow with a ladder.
With Stadium Stampede, Fight Forever could go from an okay game to one that people keep playing for months to come.
Despite the fact that I haven’t seen even a 30-second trailer to go on, it might follow a similar path to Fortnite, albeit much smaller, as I’m not expecting it to become a high-ranking BR game alongside PUBG and Apex Legends.
In the end, Road To Elite, the mode everyone at AEW Games seemed most excited about pre-launch, ends up being what Save The World was to Fortnite. Eventually left behind as Stadium Stampede takes over.
Maybe I’m a little ahead of myself. Stadium Stampede may be the key to making this game a success.
