wwe '12 was first announced on june 1, 2011 with the catch phrase, ""bigger, badder, better"." thq promoted a new animation system dubbed "predator technology." the "predator technology" makes the wrestlers in the game look more realistic. in addition to allowing players to interrupt moves, attack animations such as john cena's five knuckle shuffle and booker t's scissor kick no longer warp players to the center of the ring. more realistic ring rope physics have also been added, with ropes moving as characters are slammed to the mat. the developers have also made efforts to prevent the collision detection problems that have affected the series in the past. on july 28, 2011, it was announced that those who pre-ordered the game would be able to play as the rock and also receive alternate attires for the miz. on august 13, 2011, jerry lawler was announced as downloadable content (dlc). total nonstop action wrestling performer austin aries voiced the main character of jacob cass in the road to wrestlemania mode.