Holy smokes — you guys are NOT ready for this! Take-Two Interactive CEO Strauss Zelnick has officially been added as a playable character in WWE 2K26 (published by Visual Concepts), and honestly? I have so many questions about how we got here but my first thought is pure joy that the man who's at the helm of Rockstar Games, Grand Theft Auto, Max Payne — basically half the gaming industry now — can be thrown around a wrestling ring like an absolute action figure.
For those of you still unfamiliar with Zelnick (shame on some of you!): he took over as Take-Two CEO back in 2013 and has steered the company through massive growth, presiding over acquisitions that expanded their portfolio to include Rockstar Games alongside all the beloved franchises we've enjoyed for decades. Now WWE fans everywhere — both PC players since launch on March 13th of this year across Windows (alongside PS5), Xbox Series X/S, and even Nintendo Switch 2 with full split-screen multiplayer — can go online versus each other or play cooperatively in all modes while occasionally dropping a devastating finisher onto the CEO himself. What I love about these crossovers is that they're never just throwaway content; having Zelnick represent one of gaming's biggest companies inside WWE (a major sports simulation franchise built on real-world drama) actually feels fitting — CEOs getting their faces smacked around in wrestling has been a tradition for decades, so why not let him do it as his own playable superstar?
I found this over at IGN where Cade Onder originally covered the news yesterday morning from what looks like an early-to-mid June reporting window on Ign's end. What I would genuinely love to see is Zelnick in some sort of signature outfit or move set — something that reflects how he presents himself publicly and maybe even a taunt or two if they've got him doing anything interesting with his headset and business suit during promo appearances at shows like Summer Game Fest. Source: https://www.ign.com/articles/you-can-now-fight-take-two-ceo-strauss-zelnick-in-wwe-2k26
For those of you still unfamiliar with Zelnick (shame on some of you!): he took over as Take-Two CEO back in 2013 and has steered the company through massive growth, presiding over acquisitions that expanded their portfolio to include Rockstar Games alongside all the beloved franchises we've enjoyed for decades. Now WWE fans everywhere — both PC players since launch on March 13th of this year across Windows (alongside PS5), Xbox Series X/S, and even Nintendo Switch 2 with full split-screen multiplayer — can go online versus each other or play cooperatively in all modes while occasionally dropping a devastating finisher onto the CEO himself. What I love about these crossovers is that they're never just throwaway content; having Zelnick represent one of gaming's biggest companies inside WWE (a major sports simulation franchise built on real-world drama) actually feels fitting — CEOs getting their faces smacked around in wrestling has been a tradition for decades, so why not let him do it as his own playable superstar?
I found this over at IGN where Cade Onder originally covered the news yesterday morning from what looks like an early-to-mid June reporting window on Ign's end. What I would genuinely love to see is Zelnick in some sort of signature outfit or move set — something that reflects how he presents himself publicly and maybe even a taunt or two if they've got him doing anything interesting with his headset and business suit during promo appearances at shows like Summer Game Fest. Source: https://www.ign.com/articles/you-can-now-fight-take-two-ceo-strauss-zelnick-in-wwe-2k26