A new trademark update doesn’t sound like good news for fans waiting for The Wrestling Code.
Virtual Basement has been developing its pro wrestling video game, The Wrestling Code, for the past several years. After months of various teasers, including talent roster signings, the developer officially revealed the game’s title and other details on August 25, 2020.
The independent wrestling game is built on Unreal Engine to play on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and PC. Since then, tech demos have been revealed, and beta test sign-ups were announced for early 2025. Virtual Basement continued to announce new roster additions over the years. However, the game has never had a formal release date.
Fans on social media (and some wrestlers) have criticized Virtual Basement for stringing people along with a game that will never be released. Much of the criticism has centered around how the developer continued signing more talent, but the game still wasn’t finished after close to a decade of being in development. (The game has been in development so long that Matt Cardona, who signed as an indy talent in early 2023, is back in WWE.)
That chatter has amplified as the years go on. An update on the game’s trademark won’t help quiet those concerns.
Virtual Basement abandons the trademark for The Wrestling Code
Fans recently discovered that Virtual Basement abandoned its trademarks on The Wrestling Code. Virtual Basement initially filed to trademark it in April 2020, but that was abandoned after a few years. The company applied for a new trademark in April 2024, but that was also abandoned on December 29, 2025.
It’s possible that they could have changed the game’s name or re-applied for another trademark. However, this does not look good for the troubled game.
There are close to 200 “confirmed” members of the roster. However, Virtual Basement hasn’t made a social post since June.
Virtual Basement responds to reports about The Wrestling Code trademark
Update: Virtual Basement responded to the reports about abandoning the trademark to The Wrestling Code on the developer’s Discord account. It was noted that they are still working on the game, and the trademark issue was an automated process. According to Jamie – The Game Dev, Virtual Basement has already applied for another trademark, which is officially granted once the game is released.
It was also noted that the reason Virtual Basement has been quiet in recent months is due to their team finishing a contract on another game. This caused them to work part-time on TWC, but they will resume full-time work once the other contract is completed.
Fightful (via Fightful Select) is also reporting that the game isn’t canceled, and the game’s hiatus isn’t a convenient excuse. The outlet reports that Virtual Basement’s previous lawyer retired, and they are working with a new one to reinstate the trademark.
Virtual Basement’s claim that they put The Wrestling Code on hold isn’t a new excuse, either. Fightful notes that they’ve maintained this position for a few months. Fightful reached out to the developer, who said that The Wrestling Code is still a “self-funded passion project that they’re building” and hope to showcase more of it this year.
