During The Game Awards 2022, Bandai Namco shared a new look at its upcoming fighting game, Tekken 8. On top of showing a bit of gameplay, the highlight of this new trailer is the reveal that Jun Kazama, mother of Jin Kazama, will be back in Tekken 8.
Jun first appeared in Tekken 2. She raised her son Jin on her own, after the death of the boy’s father Kazuya Mishima. On Jin’s 15th birthday, he witnessed his mother being attacked by Ogre as the creature was killing participants of the second King of Iron Fist Tournament. Since then, Jun Kazama was considered dead – until this new Tekken 8 trailer.
Tekken 8 was first teased last August when Bandai Namco showed a glimpse of a modern version of one of the most popular characters in the fighting game series after the Tekken 7 Grand Finals at EVO 2022. A short trailer revealed a new version of Kazuya Mishima, the hero of the first Tekken game and antagonist in the later installments in the series. Fans quickly speculated about a new entry in the Tekken series, until Bandai Namco officialized the existence of Tekken 8 during September’s PlayStation State of Play.
The official website for Tekken 8 shed more light on Kazuya’s role in this new game. Tekken 8 will focus on the father-and-son showdown between Kazuya Mishima and Jin Kazama, following the ending dialogue of Tekken 7. Other popular characters are expected to return, such as Yoshimitsu, Paul Phoenix, Steve Fox, Nina Williams, Hwoarang, or Ling Xiaoyu. Tekken 8 will be powered by Unreal Engine 5, offering realistic graphics including “muscles that shift to reflect character movement,” according to Bandai Namco.
During its latest earnings call, Bandai Namco confirmed its intention to release Tekken 8 during the 2023 financial year, which means the game would come out sometime between March 31, 2023, and March 31, 2024. The company also revealed that they were “planning a large number of projects,” without revealing more information as to their nature.
Tekken 8 is currently in development for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S. The game will come out sometime between March 31, 2023, and March 31, 2024.
