Rumor killer on supposed AEW Fight Forever release update (Exclusive)

AEW Fight Forever is a game under a lot of speculation right now. With no confirmed release date, there are tons of rumors floating around, but there is one that Sportskeeda can confirm is false.

With fans awaiting the game's release, social media users have had a window of opportunity to gain traction through speculative posts.

For example, Sportskeeda has previously been able to dispel rumors stemming from supposed marketing sleeves alleging the game to be rated 'M for Mature.' Likewise, supposed marketing bay planograms suggested the game was scheduled for an April 2023 release. Once again, this was dispelled.

Yet another supposed release update has come through a Reddit post depicting marketing sleeves. WrestleTalk covered the post as a 'big update' on the game's potential release, given that the video game retailer has been preparing the sleeves for in-store POS.

However, Sportskeeda can confirm that this has no bearing on the release date. Speaking to AEW sources on the matter, they have dismissed the marketing sleeves as proof of anything. When quizzed on a release date, they had no details to provide except that it was "coming soon" and that they are working seven days a week to deliver the title.

Speaking to an upper management source with a leading video game retailer, they also dismissed the sleeves as evidence of a release date. They said, "we get preorder ones once the dates are confirmed, or the publisher wants to drive awareness." They also noted that there has been no change to 'commercial updates' regarding AEW Fight Forever.

Display bays within a retailer are used to drive awareness for a product, which is often at the behest of publisher-retailer agreements. The very fact that a bay is being established doesn't hold any value when it comes to a potential release date. Especially considering the marketing sleeves in question do not advertise any form of a date.

AEW said their desired age rating was never in jeopardy after reports emerged they failed to attain it

It was recently reported that Fight Forever had been delayed in its release due to failing to attain its desired ESRB age rating of 'T for Teen'. However, Sportskeeda was told after reaching out to sources within AEW that this was not the case at the first time of asking.

Comments from AEW EVP Kenny Omega appeared to suggest otherwise during an appearance on Swerve Strickland's podcast.

"I'm not sure how much we had to scale it back but, like man, I freaking loved it. You could make the ring look like a murder scene if you wanted to," Kenny Omega said. [1:38:18 onwards]

He said that he hoped that the game wasn't too dumbed down, which appeared to suggest that there had to be some form of change for the rating. This was also refuted by AEW, with it being explained that Kenny's comments "were misunderstood" and that "the game didn't have to be scaled back at all." It was stressed that the 'T' age rating was "never in jeopardy."

Are you looking forward to Fight Forever? Share your thoughts in the comments below.