Tekken 8 is probably one of the most confident games I’ve seen in years. Aside from the fact that it’s a fighting game, the developers and marketers at Bandai Namco seemed to know they had something special on their hands. Just look at what we’ve seen from Tekken 8 so far; tons of trailers, some incredible roster announcements, two different online playtests before launch, and now a massive single-player Game demos that allow you to try out a wide range of games before release.
Thinking back to the stripped-down launch package for Tekken 7, or the stripped-down version of Street Fighter 5 when it launched, it all seems like a lifetime ago. It seems that fighting games, more than any other genre right now, are making up for the shortcomings of the past.
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“Throughout its history, the series has always been known for its ‘built-in content,'” said Tekken 8 director Kohei Ikeda. “So I think people are mostly referring to Tekken 7 when they complain about Tekken 7.” [what was there at launch]. So, at the beginning of Tekken 8, what we were really focused on was what the fans thought of Tekken, well, Tekken, right?
“It’s the characters, the story, the content beyond the head-to-head encounters – all these things are very important to fans of the series. And, equally important to them, is the ability to buy an interesting package at a fixed price and get through Invest and get a lot of content – that’s what people expect. We realized that was the benchmark for Tekken 8.”
As a result, Ikeda told me the development team is focused on making sure the game is filled with quality, engaging content. In addition to the powerful and innovative training tools that have been expanded since Tekken 7, Ikeda and his team ensured that “the game has a massive story, a huge roster, and a lot of single-player content.” emission”.
“It was hard to pull off,” he laughs, “but we put a lot of effort into it, and we realized it was absolutely necessary for the game.”
The fact that we can see the fruits of the Tekken team’s labor so easily really speaks volumes about the confidence the developers have in the game. This is the first time a Tekken game has been launched directly on consoles at the same time around the world. So far, the team has the ability to monitor player data in the arcade, collect feedback, and monitor the opinions of hardcore gamers. Of course, that’s not the case with Tekken 8.
“Since we don’t have it this time, we have to find another way [get this feedback],” said Ikeda, “because we believe that with fighting games, you can’t just make a game and release it. You work through it with the community and implement their feedback, and sometimes you have to do some kind of rinse and repeat. Since we didn’t have an arcade environment to do this in Tekken 8, we had to find a different approach – and that’s CNT and CBT. So far they have made a positive impression! “
Tekken 8 producer (and translator for this interview) Michael Murray jumped in to share his two cents. “I recently tweeted about this; Tekken means a lot to a lot of people. I think a lot of people who are outspoken are focused on certain things, especially the top esports competition. If it doesn’t qualify their point of view, then it shouldn’t be in Tekken.
“It’s important to remind people that there are a lot of different types of people who enjoy this series; some people just want to play the story mode, and some people just want to browse the gallery and see the art of their favorite characters. Just because you want it , doesn’t mean everyone else does too. Tekken is so big, we have to cover a variety of content to please as many people as possible; so we have story mode, we have support for Tekken World Tour 》Game balance [esports element], we have to consider the amount of content for the average gamer, who wants to buy a full game at any price for a satisfying experience. “
Murray thinks the team has struck a good balance this year, but he also noted that you need a thick skin to withstand some of the feedback from the most passionate fans. “You need to be able to step back and rationally look at the opinions you receive. You have to balance it to make sure you’re providing a service to your fans.”
Well, seeing how much there is to look forward to in Tekken 8 in 2024, and how well it’s implemented, and how quality matches quantity, I’d say the Tekken team has hit the nail on the head. head. This looks to be one of the richest and most generous Tekken games in recent years. It looks set to be an unprecedented product.
Tekken 8 will finally be released on January 26, 2024 on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.
