WWE 2K24 developer interview: Pat McAfee Pack

The third DLC for WWE 2K24 is here with the ‘Pat McAfee Pack’ starring former NFL punter for the New Orleans Saints and now the host of The Pat McAfee Show and co-commentator of WWE flagship weekly show, Raw.

With the release of the ‘Pat McAfee Pack’ for WWE 2K24, I had the opportunity to chat with 2K creative game designer at Visual Concepts, Bryan Wiliams about what we can expect to see in the highly anticipated DLC.

Check out the trailer for the WWE 2K24 'Pat McAfee Pack' below!

“Outside of Pat McAfee, you’re also getting three other playable characters, namely co-hosts of The Pat McAfee Show - Super Bowl Champion, AJ Hawk, former NFL cornerback, Darius Butler as well as Ty Schmidt and Boston Connor,” Bryan reveals.

Coming from the world of the NFL, Pat McAfee is not a natural professional wrestler, as such, he will not have the same move sets as renowned veterans such as Cody Rhodes, Roman Reigns or John Cena. That being said, McAfee does have unique moves both in real-life WWE and in WWE 2K24, including signature and finishers to end a match in style.

“One of McAfee’s signature moves will be his running, pop-up Superplex from the top rope as well as a Code Red aka Canadian Destroyer. As for his finisher move, he has a Punt to the head, befitting of his role in the NFL. McAfee will also have a unique move-set, as well as some new taunts,” Bryan explains.

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Much like EA Sports FC and NBA 2K, player ratings are always a hot topic of discussion between real-life wrestlers and fans. So no doubt, a question on everyone’s lips, what are McAfee and his teams' ratings in WWE 2K24?

“McAfee has a respectable 80 rating, so hopefully, it won't ruffle too many fans' feathers,” Bryan exclaims. “His rating is not too high but not too low. He's of course, the highest-rated playable character of this DLC. As for the other playable characters, AJ Hawk and Darius Butler are 78, being two former NFL players. The fellow producers/co-hosts, Boston Connor is 71 and Ty Schmitt is 69.” As a bonus, all four playable characters will have cards in the MyFACTION mode.

Whether it’s in real life or video games, one of the best aspects of professional wrestling is the extravagant entrances and WWE 2K24 is no exception. Working closely with all the hosts of The Pat McAfee Show, developers Visual Concepts had specific instructions on the host's in-game entrances.

Bryan revealed that McAfee will feature his theme music, pyro and animations as seen with his real-life persona. However, rather than being just a four-man faction, Ty Schmidt and Boston Connor wanted to be a separate tag team called the ‘Toxic Table Crew’. Each of the four playable characters will have their own entrances, animations, moves and victory scenes.

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As alluded to earlier, McAfee is also a WWE commentator bringing a level of enthusiasm perhaps never seen before in the company and has helped to bring Michael Cole out of his shell, allowing fans to see another side of the veteran commentator. Right now, McAfee is not a commentator in the game, but could that change in WWE 2K25 or beyond?

“I can't give a definitive answer, here today, but I know that McAfee would be a great addition to the game. He’s fantastic at what he does and would certainly enliven the commentary with his calls and enthusiasm. However, for now, I'd have to give a ‘wait-and-see answer’. It may also be difficult for McAfee to find time for the recording studio, but it won’t stop us from trying,” Bryan seemingly teases.

Just as the interview was to conclude, Bryan gave us another piece of exciting news and that’s the ‘Pat McAfee DLC Pack’ will have a throwable NFL football as an in-game weapon. Typically, WWE 2K24 has weapons such as steel chairs, kendo sticks, ladders, tables and more. But the inclusion of an NFL football will bring an added comical element. Can you imagine busting JD McDonagh (or as McAfee calls him “JD McDumbass”) open with a football?

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“We're doing a lot of cool things with the DLC, not just in this pack, but all of our DLC this year. The ‘ECW Punk Pack’ along with the new playable characters, also included new moves, animations and weapons such as a light tube and a door, and now we have the NFL football in the ‘Pat McAfee Pack’,” says Bryan excitedly.

“Each of the four playable characters in the ‘Pat McAfee Pack’ will automatically pull the NFL football from beneath the ring if you trigger it on their first attempt and can be assigned to the weapon wheel for all characters. It’s the most aerodynamic weapon in the game and when you hit a reversal, you can essentially play catch. It’s so much fun. The football has quickly become an all-time favourite throwable weapon with the dev team and I think fans are going to love it.”

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Bryan also teased an upcoming weapon in the ‘Global Superstars Pack’ expected to be released in September. This DLC pack will include Jade Cargill, Nia Jax, Michelle McCool, Kairi Sane, Lyra Valkyria, Dragon Lee and more. It will also feature the returning Carlito and fans will be familiar with his signature apple prop. Carlito’s apple will be a weapon in the game as a throwable and to spit in the face of those he deems not cool. It will be fun to see an apple bust someone open too.

The ‘Pat McAfee Pack’ is included for those who own the WWE 2K24 season pass at no extra cost and for individual purchase on 31 July 2024. WWE 2K24 is out now on PC, PlayStation and Xbox.

If you want to learn more about WWE 2K24 and potential new content, you can read my interview with Visual Concepts creative director, Lynell Jinks.