The Stadium Stampede battle royale mode for AEW Fight Forever has been officially revealed. A battle royale mode was leaked for AEW Fight Forever well before launch, but the ridiculousness of a pro wrestling battle royale mode led many to believe the leak was false. Now there's no denying it, as gameplay for Stadium Stampede has made clear it's very real. One additional announcement is that Stadium Stampede will be delivered as a free download to AEW Fight Forever players.
Stadium Stampede is a special match type that's beloved among the AEW fanbase. It's not a real-life battle royale, however. Instead, it involves two teams battling it out with no disqualification, falls count anywhere rules in place. The first Stadium Stampede took place in 2020 during the Double or Nothing PPV, with The Elite and Inner Circle factions fighting in bars, corridors, and on the field, wielding golf carts, horses, footballs, baseball bats, and more. It's a brutal, and often silly match type, but one that's exhilarating to watch.
AEW Fight Forever's version of Stadium Stampede keeps the ridiculousness of the original pro wrestling match, but layers it on top of a more traditional battle royale experience. In AEW Fight Forever's Stadium Stampede, up to 30 players will spawn in a stadium full of weapons, vehicles, and hazards. The last wrestler left standing will take the win.
Judging from the gameplay trailer, players will start by choosing one of the fighters from AEW's roster or their own create-a-character. However, they'll also have a loadout of abilities selected, stats to boost their combat in different ways, and also a chosen finisher. Players then search the stadium for weapons, gather currency to make empowering purchases from vending machines, and take out foes with weapons and pro wrestling moves alike. Like with other modern battle royale games, a zone will slowly shrink forcing players to gather and battle as the match reaches its conclusion.
There are several examples of Stadium Stampede being truly silly in the gameplay trailer. At one point Sting shoots Yuka Sakazki, who is standing on the football field's goal posts, with a t-shirt cannon. To be fair, Yuka had a Molotov cocktail. Another sequence shows Darby Allin driving a golf cart into CM Punk and Kenny Omega as they grapple. It appears to be a game mode packed with chaotic insanity.
Early leaks indicated that Stadium Stampede could be part of AEW Fight Forever's battle pass, which would restrict access to it. It's unclear if that information was simply false, or if a decision was made to give Stadium Stampede to all AEW Fight Forever players. This does seem like the right choice, though. Perhaps Stadium Stampede is what AEW Fight Forever needs to be popular months after release. A release date for the Stadium Stampede update hasn't been confirmed yet, but expect news soon.
AEW Fight Forever is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.