WWE 2K25 preview The Bloodline rules, Island and redefining wrestling gamesAlistair McGeorgePublished January 28, 2025 1:00pm Roman Reigns takes centre stage in WWE 2K25 (Picture: 2K)WWE 2K25 has officially been unveiled with Roman Reigns on the cover and The Bloodline taking centre stage.Publisher 2K and developer Visual Concepts have promised something special this year, as they continue to revitalise the franchise and repair goodwill after relaunching with WWE 2K22 following the disappointment of WWE 2K20.Last years instalment hit all the right notes, and this year the team are aiming to improve things further with Intergender Wrestling, the Underground match, the return of chain wrestling, The Bloodlines Dynasty Showcase, The Island mode, and more.Roman and his familys dynasty are at the heart of this years edition and his Wiseman Paul Heyman thinks thats the right call.What a historic moment for this to happen, right in the middle of what is unquestionably the hottest run, the hottest box office run in the history of professional wrestling/sports entertainment/WWE, he exclusively told Metro.For me personally, for the first time to have a corner man, Wiseman, special counsel I hate the term manager, but Ill use it here on the cover is an extraordinary breakthrough that, with all false humility aside, I feel the tribal chief and his wise man richly deserve. All three covers have been unveiled for the new game (Picture: 2K) Paul Heyman is proud to be part of the game (Picture: WWE/Craig Melvin)The Bloodline is the headline for this years game, with even Showcase shifting to make sense of the saga.Gone is the Slingshot technology, with full cut scenes now back and players in control of the matches, which are split into three forms: the standard Showcase match reliving big moments; the chance to change history by giving a classic bout a new result; and dream matches, with legends from The Bloodline family against modern day superstars.Theres also the addition of Bloodline Rules, which Derek Donahue, Visual Concepts lead combat designer on the WWE 2K series, has revealed is a new Payback ability all about run-ins and drama.Obviously, weve had run-ins in the game before, but in a much more limited way, he told us, noting under Bloodline Rules the new Payback can be used three times by each superstar, turning a singles match into a four versus four brawl. The Bloodline saga is a huge part of this years game (Picture: 2K)To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a webbrowser thatsupports HTML5videoUp NextIts kind of like WarGames, but without the restriction of necessarily being in the cage area. Its almost like a gauntlet match. Its kind of a hybrid of all sorts of things with this Bloodline theming built in, he added.Another new addition this time round is The Island, described by 2K as an interactive world made up of a series of areas built around differentWWEthemes, which sees players trying to impress Roman Reigns and earn a contract.The online mode is exclusive to PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S, rather than last gen consoles, and will let you take on challenges and live events to earn unlockables through different storylines.Andrea Listenberger, a writer for the series, with experience on the WWE creative team, has kept her cards close to her chest regarding the feature but promised more information in the future. The Island is a brand new mode coming to WWE 2K25 (Picture: 2K)What I will say about The Island is if MyRise is bringing video games to wrestling, The Island story is more like bringing wrestling to video games. Speaking of MyRise, this year the career mode which follows a user-created rookie rising through the ranks of WWE will focus on a singular, multi-gender storyline seeing the likes of Bayley, Kevin Owens, and more infiltrating NXT in an attempt to take control of the entire company.This also sees the introduction of the NXT Parking Lot as a brawl environment (the WWE Archives has also been confirmed), while the mode will come with plenty of storyline branches, unlockables and the like.What about the game itself? 2K and VC have introduced more than just Bloodline Rules this year, with Intergender Wrestling coming to the franchise. Intergender Wrestling will be part of this years game but wont be forced on players (Picture: 2K)Players are being given complete freedom, with male and female superstars able to compete against each other in all match times, while the Underground match has newly redefined combat.The team note that the idea that the ring doesnt have ropes has changed everything when it comes to AI and the way matches can work, with Underground even having spectators around the ring banging on the mat.In terms of the matches in general, Chain Wrestling is back with developers promising more control for players, while the addition of Barricade Dives including walking along the barrier to deliver high spots is a welcome one.The team has also boasted its biggest ever roster of WWE superstars and legends, while they didnt rule out the possibility of newcomers like Penta making it into the game. Fans are hoping its not too late for Penta to part of the game (Picture: WWE)We want people to get surprised and excited. Just wait. Every year, we got something cool for you all, Lynell teased, while a question about TNA Wrestling being incorporated in the five DLC packs was met with a similarly vague response.While the Universe sandbox mode (the return of promos) and MyGM (online play) are also being improved, MyFaction remains a key part of the game, despite fans criticising the use of microtransactions.Although unlockables are possible through hard work, players have complained about how hard it can be to work through, with plenty of people suggesting the so-called Persona Cards (which can be use in all game modes) could be provided as a one-off DLC pack later in the games lifecycle. Wyatt Sicks are this years pre-order bonus (Picture: 2K)Thats a good idea, Lynell admitted, noting it wont happen this year but the team could look at it if people feel like the game is too hard in order to unlock everything.More TrendingAs ever, there are a few different versions of the game, with pre-orders of the standard edition coming with the Wyatt Sicks as a playable character.The Deadman Edition with Undertaker on the cover includes a Mattel Elite Greatest Hits Undertaker, the Original Undertaker (90) character, and more, with The Bloodline Edition coming with The Rock Nation of Domination Pack and more bonuses.WWE 2K25 will be released on March 14, with the deluxe editions launching a week earlier on March 7.Emailgamecentral@metro.co.uk, leave a comment below,follow us on Twitter, andsign-up to our newsletter.To submit Inbox letters and Readers Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use ourSubmit Stuff page here.For more stories like this,check our Gaming page.GameCentralSign up for exclusive analysis, latest releases, and bonus community content.This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. 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