In the early 2000s, wrestling games were gaining popularity, with the WWE (then WWF) licensing its brand to various game developers. One of the most successful franchises was the WWE SmackDown! series, developed by Blitz Arcade and published by THQ (THQ Inc.). The series saw numerous releases, including WWE SmackDown! Here Comes the Pain (2003), WWE SmackDown vs. Raw (2004), and WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2006 (2005).