Tekken 8: Prepare for Epic Crossovers with Guest Characters

Highlights

Tekken 8, set six months after Tekken 7, centers around the dynamic between Jin Kazama and his father Kazuya Mishima.

Bandai Namco plans to include popular franchise characters in the game, with the intention of adding more fighters to the roster before the launch of Tekken 8. Katsuhiro Harada, the producer, has disclosed that they are also considering adding guest characters to expand the roster of the upcoming fighting game. Along with these guest characters, Harada has also provided further details on what players can anticipate from Tekken 8 when it is released.

Tekken 8, the latest installment in the Tekken franchise, was announced during PlayStation's State of Play event in September 2022. A teaser for the game was previously shown at the end of Tekken 7's tournament at EVO 2022. This new game takes place six months after the events of Tekken 7 and revolves around the relationship between Jin Kazama and his father Kazuya Mishima. Alongside the returning popular characters such as Jun Kazama, Claudio Serafino, Paul Phoenix, Marshall Law, King, Lars Alexandersson, and Jax, there will be additional fighters added to the roster before the game's release. Tekken 8's producer, Katsuhiro Harada, confirmed that Bandai Namco plans to include guest characters in the game, as they have done in previous entries. However, these guest characters will not be available at the game's launch as the development team is prioritizing the addition of more fighters for the initial release. The goal is for Tekken 8 to outshine its competitors by offering a larger character selection, with the guest characters added later on.

After the announcement, Tekken enthusiasts started speculating about potential characters for Tekken 8. Some suggestions included Goro Majima from the Yakuza series, Sonic the Hedgehog, Tifa Lockhart from Final Fantasy 7, and even the Mandalorian from the Disney+ show of the same name. One fan went as far as proposing the addition of Mike Tyson to the roster and even shared an AI-generated rendition of the boxer as a Tekken fighter. Others pondered how these guest characters would be accessible in Tekken 8, either as paid DLC additions or unlockable characters achieved by completing in-game milestones.

Bandai Namco has confirmed several exciting features to look forward to in Tekken 8. The game will unveil various quality-of-life enhancements compared to its predecessors, such as a simplified method to activate the Rage Art. Additionally, Tekken 8 will introduce a new Heat System that enables swift strikes against opponents, as well as Special Styles that provide more user-friendly controls.

Tekken 8 is in development for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.