It’s a bit hard to pinpoint where this started, but fighting games have been prone to crossovers with other franchises for a long time now. At first, it was more of a “shock” thing that the universes were crossing over. Fast forward to now, and they’re almost a requirement for a big-name series. While Tekken 8 hasn’t done that quite yet, some games in its past have, including bringing in characters like Geese Howard, Negan and Noctis to make the roster even more pronounced. So far, only three DLC characters have been introduced for Bandai Namco’s newest title, but Harada has shot down a potential crossover for one franchise on Twitter.
Specifically, a fan asked Katsuhiro Harada to try and bring Akira from the Virtua Fighter series into the game as the 4th DLC fighter. It is a noble suggestion and one that many would appreciate, given the franchise’s lesser-known status. However, Harada was rather blunt in his response to this:
Typically, Harada doesn’t give that kind of response, so it makes it clear that this isn’t happening when such a definitive answer is relayed. The topic wasn’t done then, though. Another fan noted that the franchise had been gone for almost 20 years, which got Harada to take a more somber look at the fighting game industry’s current state:
That does put things into perspective, doesn’t it? He’s also not wrong on that front. When you look at the state of fighting games right now, they’re almost all in 3D. The ones that aren’t are either niche, or aren’t attached to any major franchise. In a way, that helps them stand out more, but, it also means they don’t always get the recognition they deserve.
Going back to Tekken 8 for a second, Harada has made various statements about potential characters that people on Twitter and beyond have brought up. For example, due to a certain remake by Square Enix, many wondered if Tifa Lockhart could show up in the franchise. Harada didn’t give a direct answer but agreed she would be a “lovely” pick. In contrast, when people offered original character ideas to bolster the roster, Harada mentioned how it’s a legal quagmire to look at such suggestions.
Focusing now on the crossover side of the fighting game industry, there have been many such announcements in recent days, such as NetherRealm Studios bringing in Ghostface, Conan The Barbarian and the T-100 Terminator into their legendary franchise, and Capcom enlisting Terry Bogard and Mai Shiranui into theirs.
