WWE 2K23 has a mission in its MyRise career mode that makes a very pointed jab at how badly WWE 2K20 was received, letting us all know that 2K is at least aware of where it went wrong.
Just a few days ago, WWE 2K23 launched to some surprisingly positive reception from both critics and wrestling fans. I say surprisingly because the last few WWE games haven't been received quite so well, with WWE 2K20 getting particularly roasted when it released back in 2019, resulting in 2K giving the series a two-year hiatus until 2K22.
It seems that, even four years later, 2K isn't above poking fun at itself when it comes to its past misgivings. As showcased by Redditor Bones_2450 on the WWEGames subreddit, this year's MyRise has a side quest that puts the player into motion-capture gear and has a particularly sharp jab at WWE 2K20 in the process.
In a clip shared on Reddit, the player can be seen running at another mo-cap actor and seemingly doing the wrong thing, instead of what they've been asked to do. In response, the commentator says, "Ooh, we haven't had a session like this since the one for 2K20. Yikes", which is making a clear jab at how poorly received WWE 2K20 was.
While one Redditor suggested that this means that 2K released 2K20 knowing that it was bad, it's probably just the company rolling with the punches and taking the L a couple of years later, especially now that it seems to have found its footing with the series. In fact, 2K games are generally quite well-known for being referential in their story modes, so this doesn't come as too much of a surprise.
In fact, it seems that 2K23 in general is pretty self-aware of itself as a game and as a wrestling product, as it also includes some pretty referential skins for its cover star, John Cena, including one that makes him invisible, and one that terrifyingly makes him look like an action figure.