WWE 2K23: How Showcase Mode is an unexpected journey into the memories of John Cena

John Cena is one of WWE’s most popular Superstars and WWE2K23Showcase Mode is an endearing love letter to one of sports entertainment’s biggest stars.

In WWE2K22, Visual Concepts took players back in time to relive and recreate some of Rey Mysterio’s greatest battles as the master of the 619 himself. This year, WWE2K23 flips the script by taking out players against Cena in the ring instead of letting her wear his iconic jean shorts. With 14 historic matches to choose from, players will challenge Cena and many of his career-defining moments on some of WWE’s biggest stages. Before 2K23To launch , members of the Visual Concepts team answered a few questions about the mode and what it was like to take this trip down memory lane.

Q: John Cena has achieved a lot during his WWE career. Which makes his legacy an excellent focal point WWE2K23‘s showcase mode?

John Cena is the face of an era. He’s a historical figure, a straight-forward member of WWE’s Mount Rushmore. From his debut in 2002 to the present day, he’s done almost everything you could imagine as a member of the WWE roster.

In his career, he’s faced – and defeated – an absolute gauntlet of certified legends, earning the love and respect of his peers in the process.

His achievements are well documented. We liked taking a key part of John – “Never Give Up” – and showing that it’s not just something he says to everyone else, it’s something he uses himself on a daily basis.

If we look at John’s career in this way, we can also look back on 20 years of WWE history, including some of the biggest stars of the time. Showcase is where the WWE legends meet once again, and John Cena is the ultimate modern legend.

Q: What led to the decision to have players compete against Cena in the ring instead of playing as him?

For me, there were two things that led to the approach. First off, we definitely heard some of the feedback that playing as the same WWE Superstar for 10-15 matches, no matter who it was, felt a little repetitive. So we had been thinking about ideas that would allow players to control a more diverse roster for a while.

Then, since this is the second showcase where John was the focus, I also wanted to cover his career in a different way than previous showcases. We really enjoyed playing on his never give up mentality when brainstorming and decided that by showing his losses we could really highlight that whole concept, certainly with more seriousness than showing him winning those games.

So the question became, “Do players play as Cena and just lose every match?” Even going through a cutscene loss just seemed like too much. “Well, what if we just get them to control Cena’s opponents? You have to beat John Cena every time, he’s like a recurring boss fight!” That led to You Can’t Beat Me, and that’s where it all came together for us.

Q: With so many games, how did the team decide which games to include?

After going for the “you can’t beat me” idea, where the player would control Cena’s various opponents, we had a smaller pool of matches to choose from. So we looked at the various WWE Superstars who have defeated John Cena and tried to figure out which of them deserved a spot – the idea being that these are the very best in the group of people who have a victory over John .

Some people have multiple wins over Cena, while others may only have one. You’ll see Edge and Randy Orton, two of Cena’s greatest rivals throughout his career, as well as Rob Van Dam, whose 2006 ECW One Night Stand victory remains one of the most memorable matches of any man’s career.

In the end, we hope each game either has historical significance, represents a legendary rivalry, or takes you back to a forgotten classic.

Q: Will players experience the same era specific filters and graphics as in 2K22?

Yes, we always do our best to match the in-game presentation to the classic footage. This can be done through the use of filters as well as various uses of our lighting system to get that old school feel right!

Q: Do players earn anything special for defeating Cena?

Players can expect to earn unlockable rewards in Showcase mode! Similar to WWE 2K22, there are two types of rewards:

Match Rewards: These are earned by simply winning the match, whether you complete 0 match objectives or all! These are usually reserved for arenas, championship belts, and unlocking the next game!

Objective Rewards: These are earned by completing 100% of the objectives in the game. These are usually reserved for superstar models/clothing.

Q: Is there a variation in game strategy?

Showcase tends to simply change game strategy with game goals. One might tend to be a player who uses a lot of combos or running attacks. Showcase instead encourages you to try things you might not always do – certain Grapples, Submissions, deals major damage. It’s possible to play your playstyle and win without completing any objectives, but then you’ll lose the bigger rewards. To truly “beat” Showcase, players must be able to complete the objectives while fending off an opponent who wants to win at all times.

Additionally, players will now use a new Superstar in almost every match, meaning the ability to memorize specific moves is non-existent. One minute you’re Kurt Angle, the next you’re Batista, and then you’re Triple H. We’re trying to tailor the goals to best align with the Superstar’s approach (and align with historical beats) , so someone like RVD will likely try dives and extreme attacks while a Randy Orton will be more methodical with his grapples.

Throughout his career, Cena has frequently reminded and inspired fans to never give up, and that will be more important than ever if you hope to defeat him WWE2K23. Finally, you can relive some of Cena’s greatest battles and challenge the 16-time world champion on March 17th. Pre-order your copy of the deluxe or Icon edition today to get three-day early access and exclusive rewards!