Dave Bautista has been a playable video game character for some time, but we’re used to using him to Batista Bomb wrestlers in the WWE 2K games. Soon though, gamers everywhere will be able to use the former wrestling champion and Marvel movie star to shoot reptilian hominids in Gears of War V.
On Tuesday, Bautista announced that he will be a playable character in Gears’ multiplayer mode starting Sept. 15, after WWE’s Clash of Champions pay-per-view.
“It’s about damn time,” he tweeted. You can see his announcement video here:
For years, Gears developer The Coalition has teased a movie based off the popular video game franchise, and Bautista has made it no secret he would like to play its protagonist, Marcus Fenix. So while this announcement isn’t quite his dream come true, it’s certainly a nice consolation.
The character will have Bautista’s face, signature shades, and voice, but will feature Fenix’s armor.
“It’s been a long time coming, but I couldn’t be happier that we’re finally making Dave’s dream to be in Gears of War a reality in Gears 5,” Rod Fergusson, studio head at The Coalition, said in a statement. “The iconic, larger-than-life persona of Batista fits perfectly in the Gears of War Universe, and the entire team at The Coalition can’t wait to see him take on the Swarm and all other challengers in multiplayer.”
To unlock the character, you simply have to play any version of Gears 5 beginning Sept. 15 and before Oct. 28.
Bautista won’t be the only special character in the game. Earlier this year, The Coalition announced that Sarah Connor—yes, that Sarah Connor—and the T-800 Endoskeleton from the upcoming movie Terminator: Dark Fate will also be available as multiplayer characters.
You can unlock those characters by either pre-ordering the game before Sept. 10, or download and play the game before Sept. 16 using Xbox Game Pass.
