WWE 2K25 Developer Annoyed That AEW Fight Forever Did Thumbtacks First

Originally posted on The Sportster | By Josh Coulson | Last updated Feb 26, 2025 12:01 PM ET

A WWE 2K25 developer has admitted one thing about AEW Fight Forever that they're jealous of.
Fight Forever includes thumbtacks, a weapon that has never appeared in one of 2K's WWE games.
The developer noted that he and the rest of the 2K team are working to rectify that.

More than 18 months on from AEW Fight Forever's release, it's probably fair to say the debut game for the promotion hasn't been the hit many expected it to be. Labeled a spiritual successor to the N64's No Mercy by some, Fight Forever hasn't had the staying power and appears to have been largely forgotten about. However, the game continues to play on a WWE 2K25 developer's mind for one reason in particular.

WWE 2K25 Developer Is Jealous Of Fight Forever's Thumbtacks

WWE 2K dev Bryan Williams discussed the upcoming game, and the series as a whole, on The Pro Wrestling Shoot. Williams was asked if there have been discussions to add other damage elements to wrestlers' bodies in the WWE games aside from the standard blood on the head that has been a staple for a while.

Williams pointed to the potential inclusion of thumbtacks in future games, noting that if they were added, there would need to be additional bleeding and scarring over wrestlers' bodies as opposed to just their heads. That's when the dev admitted he's jealous of Fight Forever for doing it first (H/T to Fightful for the transcription).

The thumbtacks, we've been talking about that for a while now, and I think once we crack that nut, that's the perfect opportunity to then go into... as you pointed out, getting scarring, bleeding on the back, the chest, the arms... it sticks in my craw that the AEW game has one over on us when it comes to the thumbtacks. I don't like that. We're going to make it right.

Williams Worked On Fight Forever Before Moving To 2K

Thumbtacks are one of many weapons you can use on your opponents in Fight Forever, but one of the few that you won't find in 2K games. However, as Williams points out, that's something the WWE video game team is working to rectify. Something that might not be as difficult as you might think as Williams may have had a hand in thumbtacks being a part of Fight Forever.

The dev jealous of Fight Forever having thumbtacks worked on AEW's debut games. Williams worked at Yuke's until May 2022 so even though they'd have helped with the development of Fight Forever, they left the studio for their current role at 2K a year before the game was released.

Even though WWE 2K25 won't have thumbtacks, there will be new features introduced to the series when the game launches next month. The Island will be an all-new interactive map that appears to have been inspired by NBA 2K's overworld, and this year's Showcase will feature matches you can change, as well as some that never happened at all, rather than simply forcing you to play through handpicked historic moments and matches.

This article first appeared on The Sportster and was syndicated with permission.

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