WWE 2K23 will launch tomorrow, March 17, but has already sparked controversy for including a playable Vince McMahon in the game. The longtime WWE exec has fought sexual misconduct allegations following a damning report from Wall Street Journal published last summer.
WWE 2K23 Vince McMahon Controversy Explained
Last year, McMahon, 76, was accused of paying millions of dollars in silent money to four women to settle sexual misconduct allegations and sign nondisclosure agreements to keep their affairs secret. All four women were previously affiliated with WWE.
Shortly after, McMahon announced his retirement and remained out of public view until January of this year when he claimed he was back to help sell WWE.
First reported by Axios, McMahon was surprisingly included in WWE 2K23 as a playable character. This was not disclosed by developer Visual Concepts and was not known until now.
Visual Concepts didn’t respond to any requests for comment, so it’s unclear why McMahon was added to the game. just didn’t have time to remove it.
It is unknown if the character will be removed after launch.