THQ said that WWE games would "be an important cornerstone of THQ’s annual release schedule for the long term" after they finalized an eight-year deal last year. While that doesn't mean that they currently have plans to bring their Asian-market "WWE SmackDown Vs. Raw Online" to the U.S. anytime soon, part of their strategy will involve creating a new mystery franchise to appear along with "Smackdown! Vs. Raw" and "WWE All Stars."
"So there's no plan to bring ['WWE SmackDown vs. Raw Online'] here — because what we do have a plan for on that brand is what you saw with 'All Stars,'" THQ core games executive vice president Danny Bilson told CVG. "And next year you'll see another new extension there in another way — that's just as exciting as 'All Stars,' but a little different. We're not talking about that yet."
Will it be a sandbox-style RPG adventure game based on the classic Saturday morning cartoon series "Hulk Hogan's Rock 'n' Wrestling"? I wouldn't put money on that either, but Bilson did say that THQ wants to go in a non-wrestling simulation type of direction.
"We're growing that brand basically through an alternate SKU every six months — the other SKUs ['All Stars' and the unannounced game] are more friendly, easier and less simmy than 'Smackdown! Vs Raw,'" he explained.
I don't think anyone has announced a branded Kinect wrestling game that requires you to pull off finishing moves yet. Maybe they'll decide to tap that market.
What kind of game would you like to see THQ make with their new franchise? Do you want another WWE game series? Share your responses in the comment section below.