Exclusive: The Wrestling Code Development Update—What’s The Latest On The Game?

What’s going on with Virtual Basement’s The Wrestling Code? Announced in 2022, the independent wrestling game has gone quiet on social media regarding updates.

After being rapid to announce wrestler signings and show in-engine slices, things have been slow going. The only recent news has been concerns regarding the game’s trademark, which was addressed in February. For the record, the trademark is live and pending, according to the United States Patent and Trademark Office.

But how is the game progressing? I’ve spent time speaking with sources close to the game’s development and have details on where things currently stand.

The Wrestling Code’s Future

Despite limited social media posts about the game, I can confirm that The Wrestling Code is still in development. The game remains a self-funded project at developer Virtual Basement, using funds brought in from other contracted work at the studio.

The team working on the game itself remains a small group of just six people. With that, they have still recently worked on new motion capture work with wrestlers in the game.

On the programming side, they have worked on taking the captured footage and finding “the right balance of feel, movement, grappling”. Virtual Basement has worked find a simcade balance for the gameplay, sources say, without completely copying the feel from past games. It’s been said that they feel they are close to that feeling.

Regarding licensing, the game, I’m told, offers a 50/50 revenue split with the wrestlers signed. The deals are non-exclusive, allowing wrestlers to continue to license themselves out to other projects. Regarding those signed with various companies, deals are for specific eras and personas, which give Virtual Basement protections in usage, for example using Eli Drake in the game instead of LA Knight.

But why has the project slowed? In the simplest terms, contracted work.

Virtual Basement is under contract for various games that are in development. Those titles, sources say, have to take priority because they’re what’s, to paraphrase what was said, paying the bills. In between the contracts, development continues with work expected to pick up by the end of the year.

When asked about finding funding, there have been conversations. However, getting funding for a wrestling game has proven difficult, where the best option, at this stage, remains self-funding. Even crowdfunding brings on added risk of shorter deadlines and expectations. It was said that they didn’t want to let people down if the development didn’t go as quickly as those backing financially would hope.

All in all, The Wrestling Code is still in development from Virtual Basement, just slower than anyone who spoke to me would’ve liked.

What do you think of the state of indie wrestling video games? Leave your thoughts down in the comments and in the official Insider Gaming Discord.

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