A book project telling the story of wrestling game development around the world, and cataloging every wrestling game ever made!
For a few years now, Audun Sorlie have been interviewing wrestlers and developers of video games through various work for Hardcore Gaming 101, Destructoid and magazine publications. No matter if the interview originally revolved around other subjects, or if he had sat down with them specifically to discuss the world of wrestling, it dawned on him the sheer amount of stories he was gathering that had never been heard before, yet held so much humor, shock, passion and confusion.
And as Sorlie sat down to research this genre further; he discovered the synchronicity between the wrestling industry and the video game industry. Both had experienced a sense of rebirth in 1984, as the WWF expanded its coverage beyond its territory of the northeast and video games resurfaced from the debris of the video game collapse left by Atari. Together these eventual juggernauts formed a tag team, perfectly working together to create an interactive experience of the action seen on TV. Wrestling did not only showcase the sport itself to be represented through maneuvers and rules, but also through the colorful and eccentric characters, tailor made for a medium such as video game to allow fans at home to take control of their favorite wrestler.
Quickly, wrestling video games became one of the most important merchandising item for companies around the world, and in order to bring the likeness of the performers, the authenticity of the moves and the sound of action home to the living room, it would often find itself pushing the limitations of video game consoles as far as it could handle.
Thats exactly why he and his good friend Matthew Gregg, creator of Botchamania, decided to create a truly unique project in order to get the full story told!
