AEW took a massive financial hit on Fight Forever, with a new report indicating the company lost at least $30 million on its first major console game.
The figure comes from Mike Straw, executive editor of Insider Gaming, who spoke with sources that had access to the project’s financials.
“They lost, according to those who I spoke with, at least $30 million they had to write off in the game.”
According to Straw, much of the loss stemmed from repeated development delays. Fight Forever was originally targeted for a 2022 release internally but didn’t ship until June 29, 2023. The extended production timeline ballooned costs on a project that was already dealing with issues between AEW and Yuke’s.
Sales also came in well below expectations. Straw’s sources indicated that Fight Forever moved roughly half the number of copies AEW had projected, directly contributing to the staggering loss. AEW has not publicly disclosed official sales numbers or confirmed the $30 million figure.
Fight Forever was developed by Yuke’s and published by THQ Nordic as AEW’s first officially licensed video game. The title received four seasons of DLC and additional modes post-launch, including Stadium Stampede.
The fallout from the project also sheds light on why AEW has been cautious about a follow-up. On July 26, Tony Khan said he would like to get back into gaming but made it clear he has no intention of rushing another project after everything the company went through with Fight Forever.