It might seem like a lifetime ago, and it was in many respects, but Tekken 8 came out in January of this year. When it did, fans were blown away by the game’s visuals, its story, the way the gameplay felt smoother than ever, and so on. It sold well in its opening weeks, and many felt, just like with the 7th entry, that this would be a title that would have serious legs and become one of the most beloved fighting games around. However, as we all know, just nine months later, the game is in dire straits due to decisions by Bandai Namco.
The ”death by a thousand cuts” started small, when the company added the “Tekken Store” and the Battle Pass, forcing players to pay more money to get certain cosmetics and other items. Sure, it was a standard microtransactions model, but many called it out because it wasn’t in the game at launch, and many saw this as an attempt to ensure great review scores by not having those things in it.
Then, getting to more recent controversies, when Heihachi Mishima was announced for Tekken 8, gamers were thrilled. However, players were furious when it was announced that the new stage attached to him would cost an extra $5, even if you had the Season Pass. Even Harada himself apologized for this and noted that he wasn’t a part of this decision.
Fast forward to now, and the controversies surrounding the game have grown so large that the dev team released a full-on apology on Twitter and noted that they were “not meeting fan expectations” with the DLC.
To further add to the apology, anyone who has the season pass will have immediate access to the stage; no extra payments are needed. Plus, when the next DLC character arrives, pass owners will get a special 72-hour early access period to try them out and some Tekken Coins to spend.
The team also promises to keep discussing the feedback and how things should be handled in the future. That sounds positive, however, some have already noted that based on the wording in the apology, they could still try and do another paid stage content in the future, only time will tell if that’s true.
Bandai Namco has been having a roller coaster year, and this is another low point for them. They need to straighten things out and stop annoying the fanbase, or else their victories will become fewer.
