Bandai Namco reveals that a returning Nina Williams will be joining the roster of Tekken 8 and a closed alpha test period will be held for the game. This update was given at the recent Tekken World Tour 2022 Global Finals, with Tekken series producer Katsuhiro Harada teasing this update back in December. At the time, he downplayed the possibility, as the marketing team for Tekken 8 said it was "crazy." However, the e-sports tournament was treated to a number of announcements, which included Nina Williams' reveal.Nina Williams has been an iconic character in the Tekken franchise ever since her debut in the first game. She's an assassin alongside her sister, harboring a cold and aloof personality, making her the perfect bodyguard and enforcer of the Mishima Zaibatsu organization. Her popularity even led to her gaining a standalone spin-off title in 2005 called Death by Degrees, which only cemented her popularity. It's no surprise to see that she'll be a returning fighter, with a brand-new outfit to boot.Nina's reveal trailer kicks off with a brand-new Tekken 8-inspired intro, where Jin Kazama and Kazuya Mishima go in for a punch that mirrors the Tekken 7 sequence. From there, Nina steps in with two handguns, a purple dress, sunglasses, and a leather jacket. She's also cut her hair for this entry, where she now sports a bob cut. Afterward, the trailer shows off Nina's gameplay in Tekken 8, using a combination of martial arts and her handguns to keep the offensive on her opponent.
The trailer goes further into her gameplay style, along with showing off Tekken 8's stage destruction and heat mechanics, with Nina managing to counter at opportune moments or execute stylish grapples. The trailer also shows off her Rage Art special move, where after she manages to hit her opponent, she will do a flip and proceed to ventilate her opponent with her handguns before finishing them off with a powerful palm strike.
Alongside this reveal, Bandai Namco announced that a closed alpha test will be conducted in select locations across the world. These Tekken 8 tests will be done to gather feedback about the game's combat and mechanics, which will be used to further refine the gameplay. The first will be taking place at EVO Japan 2023, with players looking to try it out required to register for the Tekken 7 tournament, along with applying at a special website that will be opened later this month. If there are many applicants, the participants of this test will be chosen via raffle.
Tekken 8 is in development for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.
