WWE 2K25’s advanced access shows players should be wary of the trend

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Over the weekend, numerous gamers who had pre-purchased WWE 2K25’s Advanced Access period dived into the game. Although it officially releases on March 14th, those who bought the Deadman or Bloodline editions got an early start with Advanced Access from Friday. The new edition of this series offers unique features like uploading personal images or using a face scan in the character creator, along with an exciting new feature called ‘The Island’. Regrettably, not everyone has had a trouble-free experience during the advanced access launch.

WWE 2K25’s advanced access period serves as a warning to future games

WWE 2K25, the latest game in the series, has received multiple updates to fix various issues. The most recent one, Patch 1.04, was released just yesterday, only twenty hours ago. A post from content creator SmackTalks, which was then shared by the official WWE 2K25 page, provides a detailed list of the changes made in this patch.

The update addresses common issues like improving stability and performance, but also tackles more significant problems such as the inability to start the MyRISE mode. This is the story-based mode where players can follow their character’s career. Many gamers have expressed concerns about this issue on social media, with numerous complaints about the troubles they’ve encountered while using this feature.

One tweet from @bye1252 succinctly conveys their expectations, urging the team to address “all these issues with bugs/glitches” since the character creation in MyRISE significantly contributes to the game’s success. Previous installments in the series attracted a dedicated fanbase by offering a talented user-generated content platform through the WWE 2K25 character creator, fostering a vibrant community around the game. The post concludes with a reminder that “we shouldn’t be testing at the beta stage when paying premium prices,” a sentiment relevant to gamers across the industry considering the growing trend of Advanced Access periods for popular games.

The access to a game like WWE 2K25 differs from the more common gaming trend, Early Access on Steam. Unlike Early Access games on Steam, where you can buy an incomplete game and play it before it’s finished, with WWE 2K25, you pay for the full game at launch. Early Access on Steam is a way for developers to raise funds to complete their game, but there’s a risk that they may not deliver the final product. Steam has now introduced a feature to warn players if the developer hasn’t updated their Early Access game in a while. This is different from WWE 2K25, where you wouldn’t pay extra for an early version of the game.

The base version of “WWE 2K25”, priced at $59.99 on Steam, will become available for all players on March 14th. However, those who purchased earlier editions have been playing for a few days already, or can start playing immediately. As of now, the Deadman Edition is priced at $99.99, and the Bloodline Edition at a steep $129.99 – more than twice the cost of the standard edition. This additional expense allows players to access the game before others, though it’s important to note that this early access is intended to be an added feature, not a pre-release version of the game.

Many other games have adopted a similar strategy. Last month, Avowed had a significant launch with those who purchased the Premium Edition receiving early access for four days. Similarly, upcoming titles like Doom: The Dark Ages offer pre-orders of a premium edition which grants two days of early access before the standard version is released. This appears to be an ongoing trend, and if players are concerned about Grand Theft Auto 6 potentially costing $100, it may simply be the premium edition for some initial advanced access.

If players choose to spend their money on Advanced Access for WWE 2K25, it’s their prerogative. However, the response from players towards this feature of the game might be a cautionary tale for others considering it in future games. As @bye1252 eloquently stated earlier, shelling out an additional $40 or $70 for early access to a game that’s not yet fully functional isn’t exactly reasonable. It’s not unexpected that large new games might have issues at launch that need addressing in the initial days. This unfortunate trend of releasing imperfect games has become increasingly common in recent years.

Hey fellow gamer, Grabbing that Advanced Access to jump into a game early might seem like a sweet deal, but remember it’s not always smooth sailing. You can never be certain if the game will run flawlessly during its advanced phase, and chances are pretty good there’ll be a few bugs that need sorting out. Advanced Access is kind of a roll of the dice – you could enjoy an exclusive sneak peek or end up debugging like a pro. Don’t let the fear of missing out drive your decisions.

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2025-03-10 22:32