WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2009 Will Feature Royal Rumble

Body slams have never been so sweet in a videogame. If you're looking to have a good wrestling time with fighters like John Cena, Randy Orton or Kane, look no further. THQ has announced that the tenth installment in its WWE SmackDown vs. Raw series has entered development and will be released sometime in 2008.

Titled WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2009, the game will let anyone enter the dangerous world of professional wrestling and battle it out in a career mode that will take a fighter from the beginning of his career to the final Royal Rumble events that will become accessible as more fighters are beaten. All the events pictured in the television shows and live matches from WWE will also be presented to players, with the game aiming for an experience as close to the real thing as possible.

The video game will most likely include a "create-a-finisher" feature, with over 500 animations to make unique finishers that your fighter can use. Also, most of the moves seen in real-life fighters will be replicated on a new and improved video engine designed especially for the game. Steel cage and ladder matches are also a possibility, although there's no official confirmation at this point.

Only recently THQ and Jacks, holder of the WWE licenses, have wrapped up a lawsuit regarding the royalties which are to be paid for the use of the intellectual property. THQ won the right to have sole creative control over the videogames and to pay Jacks Pacific the royalty sum that was originally agreed between the two companies, with no further negotiation taking place. The game is set to be developed for PlayStation 3, PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable, Nintendo DS, Wii, Xbox 360 by YUKE's Future Media Creators.

Bob Aniello, who is THQ's worldwide marketing senior vicep resident, stated: "The ambitious cross-platform launch of WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2008 last year yielded tremendous growth for the franchise, as we delivered multiple gameplay experiences across seven platforms and greatly expanded our audience of WWE videogame fans. With dynamic new features and the extension of our gameplay experience through downloadable content, WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2009 will bring more console, handheld and wireless gamers together to enjoy the virtual world of WWE."