Exclusive: WWE 2K26 MyRise lead talks this year's campaign and why fan-favorite Jordynne Grace is taking on the role of a villain: ‘We work so far ahead from WWE’

Speaking exclusively to TechRadar Gaming, WWE 2K26's MyRise lead narrative designer, Sean Conaway, has shed light on this year's edition of the campaign mode known as "The Comeback." Instead of the two separate stories for men and women of years past, or the combined story seen last year, this time around you'll be a wrestler returning to WWE after a hiatus (much like the Cody Rhodes, Chelsea Green, and Drew McIntyres of the world) known only as 'The Archetype', but your return is soon halted by Paul Heyman and either Bronn Breakker or Jordynne Grace.

Anyone who has been up to date with WWE will understand why Breakker is taking up the bad guy role, but the top babyface, Grace, was a surprise. When asked about this, Conaway explained that: "we work so far ahead from WWE that we kind of have to look in our crystal balls and try to forecast as best as we can who we think is going to be hot a year from now," and that, for example, "we paired up Bron with Heyman before WWE did it".

He explained that the team "sees huge things" for Grace, and while she may not be a top villain right now, she's one to watch (which was helped by working with Grace, who did mocap for WWE 2K25, being an "embarrassment of riches").

The return to split men's and women's storylines was a welcome one, but both taking on the role of 'The Archetype' raised an alarm for me. Would these be simple rehashes where you fight Grace instead of Breakker, or is it simply a base? Conaway explained: "We're telling one similar story between the two divisions with different antagonists and different rivals," but there are "substantial differences along the way," with "different cut scenes, different dialog, and different moments along the way."

After last year took the game from two campaigns to one, I was curious if that was a case of cutting things back for the introduction of the divisive 'The Island' mode. "I think that's a factor," Conaway explained, "we're always considering scope and resources." But even with that in play, Conaway says "we want to make sure we're going for quality over quantity always," and given that WWE 2K25's Mutiny was one of the best MyRise modes to date, perhaps it was a blessing.

We also talked about unlocks. Last year's MyRise mode forced you to play the storyline multiple times to unlock everything, which was another bit of criticism that was acknowledged: "I did see some fatigued comments about 'oh I have to play this five times to get this reward. So it definitely won't be to that extent this year". Conaway also shared that with MyRise this year, you'll be able to unlock the likes of Polka Dot Dusty Rhodes and the 2003 independent scene version of cover star CM Punk (and yes, 2K has sprung for 2000s punk rockers AFI's Miseria Cantare as his entrance theme for this version of the character).

Aside from the unlocks, my biggest problem with MyRise in recent years has been the ending. As in, it just ends. Previous career modes in wrestling games would allow you to take your character through the calendar year, get into feuds, and chase titles. And even if these weren't of the same quality as the original storyline, getting to do nothing with your character was always a bummer to me.

So I was happy when my inquiry about it was met with "it's definitely back," with Conaway explaining: "We put a lot of work into that." He explains that the end of your story will feature a "major final decision" that will "set you up for some sort of new game plus material." You'll be able to defend championships, lose them, and set up a second comeback to get back on top again. Conaway also teased easter eggs in the form of "hidden opponents you can randomly encounter in that new game plus championship loop as well."

While the announcement of a shared storyline had me somewhat worried, I'm optimistic about WWE 2K26's edition of career mode. If anything, the lack of over-the-top unlock requirements and finally letting me stick with my character gives it a huge edge over the previous entries.

Also, you know I had to ask about my GOAT, and yes, "Barron Blade will return" in WWE 2K26.

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