Highlights

  • Fans of Tekken 8 are pushing for a Waffle House stage, leaving director Harada intrigued by the restaurant's violent culture.
  • Waffle House's reputation for late-night violence has caught the attention of the Japanese director, sparking curiosity about American culture.
  • Despite no confirmation on a Waffle House stage, Tekken 8 fans can still look forward to upcoming DLC characters and new stages.

Tekken 8 director Katsuhiro Harada was bewildered by the violent culture surrounding the restaurant chain Waffle House. American Tekken 8 players have doggedly requested the official addition of a Waffle House stage to Bandai Namco's iconic 3D martial arts fighting game, much to the bemusement of Harada and other developers. However, the repeated requests from fans have since piqued Harada's interest, leading to several threads diving deeper into the factors that contributed to Waffle House's notorious reputation.

For context, Waffle House is an American restaurant chain with stores spread across 25 states. Notably, each store is open 24/7, with a reputation for only ever closing when a major disaster hits a branch's location. However, perhaps because it is open throughout the night, the restaurant chain also garnered a reputation for attracting rowdy and often inebriated customers, who end up antagonizing the staff and other patrons. The store's reputation for violence has since led to fighting game fans requesting stages inspired by the restaurant, with one fan even creating their own take on a Tekken 8 Waffle House stage with Roblox.

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While the reputation of Waffle House is well-known among the American community, it was still a bit of a shock to Tekken 8's director, who was fascinated with the trend of violent confrontations that transpired within Waffle Houses across the USA. Harada was particularly bewildered by the fact that many of these conflicts were not patrons fighting among each other and instead typically involved a customer and a member of the waitstaff, which he himself admitted he had never seen happen in his home country of Japan. Harada additionally believed this trend was not just because Waffle House was open all day and therefore attracted drunks, and expressed how he wanted to learn more about American culture.

Tekken 8 Fans Weigh In On Waffle House Culture

Many fans were amused by Harada's interest in Waffle House and even put forward their own speculations regarding what made the restaurant chain such a hotbed for violent confrontations and a perfect stage for Tekken 8. Several users hypothesized that many of the customers who enter the premises late at night are likely stressed and tired. Combined with the overworked staff, tempers are typically ready to flare up at the slightest provocation. Some also believed Americans were much more prone to confrontation, further increasing the chances of a violent incident.

While a Waffle House stage is not currently confirmed, fans still have plenty of content to look forward to. Tekken 8's second DLC character Lidia Sobieska is scheduled to make her debut this Summer and will be released along with the new Seaside Resort stage and a brand-new photo mode. Players will also receive a new chapter for Tekken 8's story mode by autumn and an online practice mode come winter.