AEW Fight Forever is finally out anddeliversa largely good time – even with a few flaws. Right around its release, word got out via a datamining leak that a new mode would be coming out called Stadium Stampede. Then, Kenny Omega confirmed the leak and today, AEW Games has revealed the first footage of the virtual version of Stadium Stampede. The actual match was a cinematic two-team, massive battle over the entirety of TAA Bank Field in Jacksonville, Florida at Double or Nothing in both 2020 and 2021. It being a pre-taped match during the pandemic era allowed it to have a lot of tricks and post-production effects that added to the comedy when needed and enabled bigger risks to be taken with more precautions.
In Fight Forever, it’ll be a 30-player free-for-all with a battle royale element – think Fortnite meets actual pro-wrestling moves and techniques alongside all other kinds of craziness. From what we’ve seen in just the trailer, things like riding horses will be available while the data leak shows off golf cart usage – paying homage to the meme-worthy chase of Sammy Guevara and Matt Hardy with golf carts over the years in AEW. We know that dives will be doable off of one parts of the stadium to another and with things like ring trucks visible, it’s possible those will be used too.
The core game lacks backstage areas, but something like this feels like a natural evolution of that while also doing it in a way that fits what AEW has done before. If there are enough mechanics in it, we could see this mode being the foundation for something like a true falls count anywhere match ala the PS2 SmackDown games where you’re able to roam the arena and battle pretty much anywhere. It could also lead to things like in-game parking lot brawls, which have been featured in quite a few games over the years and yet are lacking here.
The game itself has great destruction mechanics in place for things like barricades and even the video wall and with Stadium Stampede set as a free download for the game, the future looks bright. It’ll be fascinating to see if it stays as part of the main game’s package or if it becomes a free-to-play offshoot with more microtransactions in the mix because even games like Rumbleverse going free to play with a wrestling theme have died out and this will have a $60 paywall attached. Still, the future looks good for it and we’ll find out a lot more when it launches soon across all consoles and PCs for AEW: Fight Forever.
