Canned WWE game may have been Blue Tongue's last

A video has been leaked to Polygon showing footage from what is allegedly a game that the Australian studio Blue Tongue was working on before its closure by THQ in mid-2011. The video, which was sent to us by an anonymous source, shows an action brawler based on the WWE license called Brawl. Players appear to take on the role of a pro-wrestler before being tossed into a room with other wrestlers to battle it out. Among the wrestlers that players can choose include John Cena, The Miz, and Big Show.

A video has been sent to Polygon showing footage from what is allegedly a game that the Australian studio Blue Tongue was working on before its closure by THQ in mid-2011.

The video shows an action brawler based on the WWE license called Brawl. Players appear to take on the role of a pro-wrestler before being tossed into a room with other wrestlers to battle it out. Among the wrestlers that players can choose include John Cena, The Miz, and Big Show.

A Polygon source who used to work at Blue Tongue tells us the game was in development for almost two years. After this story was published, other former Blue Tongue employees contacted Polygon to tell us that the footage we received was in fact the latest build of the game before the studio was closed; we had originally reported that the video showed footage of the game six months into development. The source that sent us the video said the footage shows the game in its pre-alpha stage; many elements had not been implemented yet, such as the UI, AI, certain gameplay features, and environments.

The studio could have completed the game had THQ not intervened.

Approximately 30-40 developers were working on the game and our source tells us it was similar in scope to other Blue Tongue projects but with a higher profile because the WWE is one of THQ's biggest licenses.

Former Blue Tongue employees told Polygon that the game was going to be "pretty big" with plans for a merchandise and TV show tie-in. The source tells us Blue Tongue was attempting to create something unique with the WWE license, such a completely original game world.

The source that sent us the video said the game's cancellation was an unfortunate case of mismanagement and that the studio could have completed the game had THQ not intervened.

A developer who worked on the game who asked to not be named said: "It's a shame because at the time of the [studio] closure [the game] was really starting to come together. Another six months would have seen it complete, and breathe new life into the flagging WWE license."

This source told us the game was rebooted a year into development and there was a team shake-up that changed the direction of the game, resulting in the video below.

The two minute long video shows a cartoonish take on the world of WWE, with tables and chairs exploding on impact and punches releasing blasts and sparks.

A similar video was released a year ago by the WWE to show the potential of the WWE license, but this was before the studio's closure.

Blue Tongue was based in Melbourne, Australia, and is best known for its original IP, de Blob and de Blob 2. The studio was closed in 2011 when THQ closed all its Australian studios, including Studio Oz (also known as THQ Brisbane).