'WWE 2K21' has officially been cancelled as publishers at 2K Sports focus on new arcade brawler 'WWE 2K Battlegrounds'.

The Rock in WWE 2K Battlegrounds

The Rock in WWE 2K Battlegrounds

The planned wrestling video game was supposed to be released by 2K this autumn as the next instalment of the long running WWE game series, but the title has now been scrapped by publishers amid the lacklustre response to last year's 'WWE 2K20'.

In part of a lengthy blog post, 2K wrote: "We want to address WWE 2K20. We've heard and appreciate your feedback, and continue to listen to you closely.

"We hear you and we know you want more from the franchise, so here's what we're going to do: we are applying what we've learned to the next WWE 2K simulation game with a renewed focus on quality and fun.

"As part of that commitment, we are extending the production timeline and will not be releasing a WWE 2K simulation game in 2020 (T2 fiscal year 2021). We want to ensure the development team at Visual Concepts can create a great game that will entertain grizzled WWE 2K veterans, as well as newcomers who want to climb through the ropes and step into the ring for the very first time."

Instead, 2K will be releasing a brand new title, named 'WWE 2K Battlegrounds', that will take up the autumn release slot previously held by 'WWE 2K21'.

The project is an arcade brawler which is in development at Saber Interactive, who previously developed 'NBA 2K Playgrounds'.

Writing in the same blog post, the publishers said: "Let's begin with a surprise... We've got two words for you: NEW GAME! We're thrilled to introduce you to WWE 2K Battlegrounds, a completely new WWE gaming experience that will feature arcade-style action and over-the-top Superstar designs, environments and moves. We're focusing on social pick-up-and-play fun, but with plenty of depth for those who want to get way into it.

"WWE 2K Battlegrounds is scheduled to launch this fall and we look forward to sharing more information about the game in the coming months."

As of the time of writing, there is no firm release date for 'WWE 2K Battlegrounds'.