Prima Games Q & A with the WWE ’13 Development Team

Bryan Williams Senior Game Designer

The “Attitude Era” story mode gave us an opportunity to relive some of the awesome storylines of the past. How did you decide what matches to include in the “Attitude Era” Story?

Bryan Williams: Matches were decided based upon their historical significance and lasting influence to the WWE landscape. For the time period that we’re covering in the game that includes Stone Cold Steve Austin’s rise to prominence, the debut of Kane, The Rock’s meteoric rise to the main event scene and countless other moments and events from WWE’s not too distant past.

Who were your go-to Superstars in your inter-office matches?

Bryan Williams: I’m a huge fan of Daniel Bryan. I’ve been a fan of his long before he made his WWE debut so when I’m called out for a little inter-office competition he’s my go-to Superstar of choice. He has one of the most varied and hard hitting move-sets in the game. There’s no greater joy than making one of my co-workers tap out to one of Daniel Bryan’s patented submission finishing maneuvers. Snap or tap baby!

Other than Mike Tyson, give us a sneak peek into another DLC. Who should gamers make sure they download?

Bryan Williams: I think gamers will be interested in downloading all of our DLC this year. We’ve got some amazing content coming down the pipeline. Gamers will surely want to download the first DLC pack in order to round out their roster of selectable “Attitude Era” Superstars. Contained within the first DLC pack are “Attitude Era” Superstars Val Venis, Goldust, DDP, Gangrel, Rikishi, Scotty 2 Hotty (the Worm anyone?) and Grand Master Sexay. A collection of current era WWE Superstars will also be made available via DLC. Gamers can look forward to downloading Antonio Cesaro, Damien Sandow, AJ Lee, Natalya, Yoshi Tatsu, Layla, Ryback (feed him more!), Jey and Jimmy Uso and Tensai. It’s not just Superstars that we’re offering either. Players will also be able to download a collection of classic championships as well as 20 new moves (Brock Lesnar’s Kimura Lock, Chris Jericho’s Lionsault, etc). It’s our biggest DLC offering to date. Fans of WWE ’13 will not be disappointed.

What is your favorite new feature or improvement in WWE ’13? Why?

Bryan Williams: My favorite new feature in this year’s game is the new and improved I Quit match. It’s quickly become my favorite match in the game. I enjoy competing in I Quit matches more than any other match type. I love the simplicity of the match stipulation (inflict enough damage on your opponent to the point where they’re actually forced to say the words, “I Quit”) and how we’ve managed to authentically replicate the match type into an interactive gaming experience. The I Quit match is a brutal and incredibly entertaining match to play. If you’re reading this and you haven’t tried it out for yourself, put the strategy guide down for a bit, boot up WWE ’13 and give it a try. Hopefully you’ll be as entertained by the match as I am.

We thought WWE ’12 was fun to play, but the gameplay improvements in WWE ’13 are really noticeable. What is your development/brainstorming process for improving the game each year?

Bryan Williams: Honestly, it’s nothing more than the team getting together and reviewing the previous game. We take note of things we liked and those things that we didn’t and address/fix issues accordingly. More importantly, we gather feedback from the fans. Feedback that’s collected from the fans/community is more important to us than anything else in so far as game improvements are concerned. If we put out a game that the fans can’t get behind then we’ve failed in our job as developers.

Who are your favorite Superstars (in the game or not) of all time? Why?

Bryan Williams: Easy one. My favorite Superstar of all time is The Rock and it isn’t even close! I’m a fan of professional wrestling and the WWE because of The Rock. The Rock truly is the complete package when it comes to what makes a professional wrestler great. Mic skills, charisma, in-ring talent, The Rock had, no, HAS, it all.

What is your favorite out-of-the-box Finisher?

Bryan Williams: What’s my favorite finisher? Hmmm, let me think on that one for a second. Since I tend to use Daniel Bryan so often I’ll go with his Front Necklock submission finisher. I’ve won my fair share of matches thanks to this move.

How much would you have to be paid to get in the ring with Mike Tyson?

Bryan Williams: I’d do it for ten million dollars. After I recover (hopefully), from what I’m assured would be an immense beat down, I’d be set for life. I’m sure my girlfriend would throw me into the ring for a lot less than that.

Yukes has done a phenomenal job with the gameplay mechanics. Have you visited there studio in Japan? If so, what’s it like?

Bryan Williams: I sure have. My co-workers and I visit Japan at least 3 times a year. I absolutely love Japan! Love it! From the outside, the Yuke’s studio looks like any other office building in Yokohama but once you step foot inside their studio you’re inundated with all things WWE! There’s WWE memorabilia everywhere. The creative energy within the studio is infectious. The men and women at Yuke’s are true fans of the sport and their dedication, passion and excitement for the WWE brand permeates throughout all aspects of the game. When it comes to the team at Yuke’s, I’m their biggest fan.

Anything you can share about future plans for WWE games?

Bryan Williams: Two words for you: stay tuned.