AEW’s first major console video game, AEW Fight Forever, reportedly proved to be a costly venture for the company, with a new report claiming the promotion ultimately had to absorb losses of at least $30 million.

During a video published on YouTube, Insider Gaming executive editor Mike Straw discussed the financial performance of Fight Forever and what he had been told by sources familiar with the situation.

According to Straw, the scale of the financial hit was significant, with development delays and lower-than-expected sales contributing to the reported loss.

“Speaking with sources who were privy to the information, Fight Forever was a massive loss for AEW. That shouldn’t come as a surprise. I don’t think it did. I don’t think it will come as a surprise, I should say.

“But just how much they lost might shock people.

“They lost, according to those who I spoke with, at least $30 million they had to write off in the game or write down from the game. That’s due to development delays and deadlines being missed, leading to internal delays and ultimately external delays.”

Fight Forever was originally expected to arrive in 2022, but the game did not eventually launch until June 2023, just days before that year's AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door event.

Straw said the extended development period added considerably to the game's costs.

“As I had reported, the original time to release that game was in 2022. It didn’t come out until near Forbidden Door 2023, leading to a lot of extra time in development.

“And when games take that long, they cost more to make. And it also did not sell all that well. They had their certain limits or expectations, but from what I’ve been told is it got about roughly half of what their expectations were.”

While Straw did not have an exact sales figure, he claimed sources indicated the game managed approximately half of the sales AEW had anticipated.

“I don’t have the exact numbers, but the words I was told was, ‘We sold about half of what we were expecting, leading to a big reason why we lost so much.’”

Despite the reported financial setback, AEW apparently hasn't completely abandoned the idea of producing more video games. However, anyone expecting another major AEW title in the immediate future may have a lengthy wait ahead.

“Now, as far as the future of AEW games, they are interested in it. They are interested in revisiting it, but they’re going to do it way down the line.

“I don’t think there’s anything close. The sources I spoke to said there’s nothing imminent right now. There are rumblings that they had talked to a third party about potentially a licensing deal that way for a game, but when I had reached out to AEW sources on that, they told me in no short words that they didn’t ‘f*cking know anything about it.’”

Straw also cast doubt on speculation surrounding a potential third-party licensing arrangement, saying his primary source would be in a position to know if such an agreement had been reached.

“So, who knows what’s going on with that? But I think all those rumblings can be put to rest, as the person who told me this, the main source, would have direct knowledge of any licensing or agreement deals that the company would sign.

“So, there we have it. Not the biggest, not the best news, but it is an idea of where things ended up with Fight Forever, despite the fact that, you know, looking back on it, some people do appreciate the ease and the pick-up-and-play of the game.”

AEW Fight Forever was developed by Yuke’s and published by THQ Nordic, with AEW positioning the title as an arcade-style alternative to more simulation-focused wrestling games. While the game attracted attention for its accessible gameplay and throwback approach, Straw's report suggests its commercial performance fell substantially short of expectations.

It is important to note that the reported $30 million figure comes from Straw's sources and has not been publicly confirmed by AEW.