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- Image of AEW Fight Forever, Courtesy of THQ Nordic and All Elite Wrestling, LLC

AEW Should Unlock the Forbidden Door in their Next Wrestling Video Game

Originally posted on Total Apex Gaming | By Brian Dunlop | Last updated Sep 30, 2025 10:00 AM ET

What will be the next video game for All Elite Wrestling following the release of 2023’s AEW Fight Forever? No recent news or announcements have emerged regarding the possible development of an AEW video game sequel, leaving the possibility of another game open for discussion and speculation within the Internet Wrestling Community.

Tony Khan’s first foray into the world of video games provided a game meant to be the spiritual successor to the 2000 title for the Nintendo 64 known as WWF No Mercy. Hideyuki Iwashita was the director of both Fight Forever and its iconic inspiration, which was released for the N64 under the World Wrestling Federation banner. Perhaps the Khan-led promotion should look to other classic wrestling games when formulating the idea for the potential AEW video game sequel for home consoles.

Tony Khan’s partnership with NJPW should crossover into video games

One of AEW’s most significant wrestling events of the year is the Forbidden Door pay-per-view, a crossover event co-produced and co-promoted by Tony Khan’s wrestling company and New Japan Pro-Wrestling. Forbidden Door has been a regular occurrence in AEW’s PPV schedule since 2022, becoming a yearly event as part of a partnership between the Jacksonville-based promotion and the Japan-based organization. In 2025, the international supershow featured wrestlers representing AEW, NJPW, CMLL, ROH, Revolution Pro Wrestling, and World Wonder Ring Stardom.

When it comes to a potential sequel to Fight Forever, Tony Khan ought to open the Forbidden Door and provide gamers with the ultimate wrestling video game experience. Much like the most recent Forbidden Door PPV, the crossover appeal doesn’t need to be restricted to AEW and NJPW and could branch into other wrestling promotions such as STARDOM and CMLL. Khan could introduce gamers to top stars from Japan, the United Kingdom, and Mexico, allowing his audience to become accustomed to talent who may appear on shows like AEW Collision and Dynamite in the near future.

The Next AEW Video Game Could Be Another Tribute To The N64 Era of Wrestling Games

Image of AEW Fight Forever, Courtesy ofTHQ Nordic and All Elite Wrestling, LLC

As previously mentioned, AEW Fight Forever heavily modeled itself after and drew inspiration from WWF No Mercy. More broadly, the game was heavily influenced by the AKI-engine-fueled wrestling games made famous on the Nintendo 64.

Rather than trying to recreate the feel of WWE’s final Nintendo 64 game, Tony Khan should look to titles such as WCW vs. The World (PS1 exclusive), WCW vs. nWo: World Tour (N64 exclusive), and the PlayStation and Nintendo 64 versions of Virtual Pro Wrestling. Those games featured battles between stars from World Championship Wrestling and wrestlers from various Japanese wrestling federations; the latter had to have their names changed for licensing reasons in the WCW gaming releases.

AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door could be the winning formula when it comes to the concept of AEW’s next video game sequel. However, it might benefit Khan’s company and overall game sales to wedge ‘wrestling’ somewhere in the title, so that the consumer is immediately aware that this is a professional wrestling game. If this game were to be released, AEW would be following in the footsteps of World Championship Wrestling by selling a video game that features a crossover between North American and Japanese wrestlers.

Tony Khan Could Offer Consumers The Ultimate Wrestling Gaming Experience With The Sequel to AEW Fight Forever

AEW’s next video game should look for a blend of fun gameplay and fantastic graphics. They should strive for visuals even more realistic than what is being offered in WWE’s 2K gaming series. The impressive graphics will draw in the casual gamer while they’re kept hooked with pick-up-and-play gameplay and a vast roster featuring some of the world’s greatest active in-ring competitors.

If the concept of the Forbidden Door crosses over to AEW gaming, wrestling fans could play stars from all around the world and battle their favorite in-ring workers from All Elite Wrestling and New Japan. Much like with the Forbidden Door pay-per-view, in-ring participants don’t necessarily need to be exclusive to AEW or NJPW. This concept invites competitors from across multiple wrestling universes, including CMLL, STARDOM, RevPro, and Ring of Honor.

AEW Fight Forever was released worldwide on June 29, 2023, for PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and Microsoft Windows. Fans of the Jacksonville-based promotion have been eagerly awaiting the sequel and hoping it’ll correct some of the issues present in the initial release. Perhaps it’s time for Tony Khan to open the Forbidden Door in the world of wrestling video games.

This article first appeared on Total Apex Gaming and was syndicated with permission.

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