Highlights
- Bandai Namco plans to add guest characters to Tekken 8, expanding the roster of the game after its initial release.
- Tekken 8 takes place six months after Tekken 7 and focuses on the relationship between Jin Kazama and his father Kazuya Mishima.
- The game will feature popular characters from the franchise, but Bandai Namco intends to add more fighters to the roster before Tekken 8's launch.
Producer Katsuhiro Harada has revealed that Bandai Namco is considering adding guest characters to Tekken 8 to expand the roster of its upcoming fighting game. On top of these additional guest characters, Katsuhiro Harada shared more information about what players can expect from Tekken 8 upon its release.
Tekken 8 was announced during PlayStation’s State of Play in September 2022, following a short teaser shown at the end of the Tekken 7’s tournament at EVO 2022. This new installment of the Tekken franchise is set six months after the events of Tekken 7 and will focus on the relationship between Jin Kazama and his father Kazuya Mishima. Popular characters from the franchise return in Tekken 8, including Jin’s mother Jun Kazama, Claudio Serafino, Paul Phoenix, Marshall Law, King, Lars Alexandersson, and Jax. These characters won’t be the only ones available in Bandai Namco’s upcoming fighting game, as the studio plans to add more fighters to the roster before Tekken 8’s launch.
Tekken 8 producer Katsuhiro Harada revealed Bandai Namco’s intentions of adding guest characters to the upcoming fighting game, just like in previous entries in the series. In Tekken 7, players could fight with Negan Smith from the TV show The Walking Dead, Noctis Lucis Caelum from Final Fantasy 15, and even Akuma from Tekken’s competitor Street Fighter. While Bandai Namco plans on adding guest characters to Tekken 8, they won’t be available at launch. The development team is focused on adding more fighters to the roster for the game’s release, with their goal being that Tekken 8 packs in more characters than their competitors when it launches, and guest characters will be added to the game afterward.
Following this announcement, Tekken fans began wondering which characters could be included in Tekken 8. Some suggested adding Goro Majima from the Yakuza franchise, Sonic the Hedgehog, Tifa Lockhart from Final Fantasy 7, or even the Mandalorian from the eponymous Disney+ series. A fan even suggested adding Mike Tyson to Tekken 8 and shared. Others wondered how they would be able to access these guest characters in Tekken 8, asking whether they would be paid additions through DLCs or free characters to unlock by completing milestones in the game. an AI-generated render of the boxer as a Tekken fighter.
Bandai Namco confirmed several features that players can expect in Tekken 8. The game will introduce various quality-of-life improvements compared to previous entries in the franchise, such as an easier way to activate the Rage Art. Tekken 8 will also introduce a new Heat System to deliver fast blows to an opponent and Special Styles to bring more accessible controls.
Tekken 8 is in development for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.
