Tekken 8 has faced some serious criticism due to Bandai Namco’s decision to sell Heihachi’s new levels separately from the Season 1 DLC pass. Now, after an uproar from the community, Bandai Namco has gone back on its original decision and offered the stage to season pass owners along with some in-game currency to help seal the deal.
This news comes from the official account of “Tekken 8” posted on social media. It states, “We sincerely apologize for failing to meet the community’s expectations regarding the content of the ‘Playable Characters First Year Pass’ and the way the ‘Genmaji’ DLC was released. After fully discussing the feedback, the Tekken project team has decided to take the following actions ”
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This is obviously a great gesture and the right move from both a PR and community management perspective. This situation is sure to cause some confusion internally, especially since, as the message makes clear, the season pass is a character pass and not a full content pass. However, as any Tekken player will tell you, stages are more than just gorgeous backdrops. They have a real impact on gameplay. Therefore, it caused an uproar when it was released as a separate DLC.
While this seems to have settled the issue nicely, one wonders where Tekken 8 will go in terms of monetization practices. Yes, this time, players get the stage for free. But what about next season? Of course, you can assume that stages will be included in future passes from now on, but that doesn’t mean developing new stages will get cheaper. Will the price of passes that include various stages increase? Or, will the messaging be improved to make it clear that purchasing the pass will only grant you the character?
But is it too late? I ask this question because, if you look at fighting game community hubs, the consensus surrounding Tekken 8 isn’t as enthusiastic as it was when the game first launched. Players are more skeptical these days, and they’re going through some tough times. Whether it’s the whole debacle regarding the lack of penalties for rage quits or the recent Tekken World Tour ruling that resulted in Chinese players being disqualified, there are certainly mixed emotions.
How long can the good times last if things like this continue to happen? Tekken 8 is by no means a bad game. I would even say it was a great game. But at times, it seems to be bogged down by the shortsightedness of people within Bandai Namco, but not directly involved with the development team. Harada himself recently told us in an interview that he’s concerned that once he and other senior Tekken employees leave, the balance of power between the developer and corporate sides of the company will change. Maybe this is all a taste of such a future.
What do you think of all this? Are you worried about the future of Tekken? Or are you just glad the stage could use unnecessary expense? Let us know below.
