When it comes to gaming anniversaries, it’s always telling how the publisher or developer chooses to celebrate them and whether the game itself is worth celebrating in any meaningful way. Sure, every anniversary is special for a released game because it got released, which not every title can say. However, if a game is steeped in controversy, and even the game’s fanbase isn’t the most positive about it, should it be celebrated? Enter Tekken 8, which just celebrated its 1st anniversary of life. As you’ll see below, Bandai Namco decided to honor the game by releasing a trailer showcasing not just the franchise’s history but the fans that “helped make the year special.” You can watch it below.
So, if you were to watch that trailer in full, you’d think that the game was a smashing success and there was nothing wrong with it. To be fair, it did start out that way. When Tekken 8 was first released, it got rave reviews from both fans and critics. Many even put it as an early “Game of the Year” contender, and it would indeed go on to win certain awards, including “Best Fighting Game” and The Game Awards.
Furthermore, many praised how incredible the game looked on systems like the PS5, which used Unreal Engine 5 to bring a level of visual detail that past games simply couldn’t make happen. It was incredibly beautiful and fans loved seeing all the little details that Bandai Namco put into the title to make things pop.
When you add all that to the new story, that took the rivalry between Jin Kazama and Kazuya Mishima to the next level, and it was a game that was praiseworthy…for about a month.
Around that time, Bandai Namco added the “Tekken Store,” a microtransaction factory that continues to be in service to this day. At first, fans were annoyed by it but were able to push through because the game was still fun. However, the microtransactions kept coming, and they soon applied that notion to the DLC, which caused an even bigger controversy.
Yeah, when Heihachi Mishima was revealed to be the final DLC character of the first season, they separated the character and the attached stage to him to cost two separate amounts, even if you had the Season Pass.
Fans rioted, and Bandai Namco rewound that decision. Still, it’s made fans very wary of the title, and one has to wonder if many will keep playing it due to the “continued cost” that keeps getting pushed on them.