“Nobody Wanted This” – WWE 2K24’s New DLC Characters Met With Backlash From Fans

WWE 2K24‘s new DLC characters are causing an uproar on social media. WWE 2K games are typically released with the bulk of their roster available at launch, then add four or five wrestlers each in monthly DLC packs. WWE 2K24‘s Season Pass isn’t radically different – five content packs are planned for release through November. Still, WWE 2K24 still has some surprises in store, having announced a whole host of unexpected additions appearing in its third DLC. Surprises aren’t always for the best, however.

WWE 2K24‘s third DLC will include color commentator and ESPN analyst Pat McAfee as a playable character, along with several of his co-hosts, in a move that prompted X (formerly Twitter) user @Trishyonce to say, “Nobody wanted this.” Pat McAfee has had a brief in-ring career, having debuted in a loss against Adam Cole at NXT TakeOver XXX. With the new announcement, the DLC, aptly named the Pat McAfee Pack, includes:

• Pat McAfee
• AJ Hawk
• Boston Connor
• Darius Butler
• Ty Schmitt
• Co-Host Manager Cards for MyFaction
• Superstar Cards for MyFaction (in essence, making all of the above playable as managers and wrestlers in WWE 2K24‘s management mode)

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Why Pat McAfee’s Inclusion In WWE 2K24 Matters

What The Pat McAfee DLC Pack Could’ve Been

In short, the main issue fans raise with the Pat McAfee Pack is that most of its inclusions aren’t wrestlers. Pat McAfee is the sole exception, but even then, he’s only stepped into the ring once. According to a reply by @iWorldsFinest, “I am however okay with Pat in the game, as he’s a legitimate wrestler. Not so much of the others.“

While there’s some inevitable overlap between fans of The Pat McAfee show and the WWE, it’s not like most 2K24 players were dying to see his co-hosts as playable characters in the ring. They would’ve been better off as unlockable secret characters in WWE 2K24, rather than paid DLC.

And, as others point out, Pat McAfee and his co-hosts are taking up valuable development time that could’ve gone to other wrestlers. In his initial announcement, McAfee makes it clear he didn’t intend to steal anybody else’s slot. But intentions aside, someone’s inevitably getting left out of 2K24 because of the Pat McAfee Pack.

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WWE 2K24 has made some much-needed improvements to one fan-favorite mode, which are sure to improve the game’s overall longevity over time.

For example, WWE 2K games usually put out some kind of expansion pertaining to NXT, the wrestling promotion’s developmental brand. There’s no such thing planned for 2K24, and likely never will be. Other, more popular wrestlers could’ve featured in their own packs instead, but the developers of WWE 2K24 spent time scanning and animating Pat McAfee and his co-hosts.

As @CosplayBliss points out,

I hate that these dudes made the cut but Andrade, Naomi, Akam, and Rezar didn’t.

None of the above are planned to appear on WWE 2K24‘s roster, not even in DLC, despite having been signed to the WWE brand since 2015 or earlier. But WWE 2K24 didn’t see fit to include them, choosing to chase celebrity cameos instead.

There’s nothing inherently wrong with including Pat McAfee and his co-hosts in WWE 2K24. Those who aren’t interested in the DLC simply won’t shell out the cash for it, but that doesn’t mean there’s no harm done. Players who have already purchased the season pass have already paid for the Pat McAfee Pack, whether they like it or not. Actual wrestlers will be left out of the game as a result. Ultimately, it’s a case of WWE 2K24 prioritizing publicity over wrestling talent and fan desires.

Sources: @Trishyonce/X, @iWorldsFinest/X, @CosplayBliss/X

WWE 2K24

WWE 2K24 is a sports-wrestling game from the developers at Visual Concepts, published by 2K Games. The 2024 installment of the long-running wrestling video game franchise continues with its celebration of 40 Years of WrestleMania – allowing players to relive iconic moments in several legendary wrestler’s careers and play/create several brand new match types, such as Gauntlet and Ambulance.

Franchise

WWE 2K

Released

March 8, 2024

Developer(s)

Visual Concepts

Publisher(s)

2K Games

Genre(s)

Sports , Wrestling

ESRB

T