THQ: Full steam ahead for WWE’12

Following years of sliding viewing figures, WWE is on the comeback trail, says THQ.

The firm says WWE’s new family focus and returning superstars, such as The Rock, have helped attract new and old fans. And it comes just in time for THQ, as the publisher prepares to reboot its tie-in series, which it says had become ‘stale’.

WWE is on the way back up,” said THQ’s lead games designer Bryan Williams. In the summer CM Punk shook the wrestling world up with his incendiary speech. He got ESPN talking, and GQ Magazine interviewed him. With The Rock coming back, he is going to help kick-start an upward tick in WWE ratings.

The WWE is full steam ahead. It has gone from PG-13 to just PG. And is now more family friendly.”WWE ‘12 is due on Xbox 360, PS3 and Wii on November 25th, and sees the game ditch the ‘Smackdown vs Raw’ moniker.

Williams added: It was perfect timing to give the brand a facelift. It was getting a little stale. We want to put the focus back on gameplay.”