Highlights

  • Tekken 8 fans want a Waffle House stage.
  • Fans suggest a parody name like "Pancake House" to avoid copyright issues.
  • Director Harada notes that Waffle House must approve the stage idea for it to happen.

Tekken 8's director, Katsuhiro Harada, has addressed the many fan requests regarding a stage based on Waffle House. The Tekken franchise has a roster that spans many countries and cultures from across the globe. Not only does Tekken 8 have a diverse multicultural cast, its stages are set in different parts of the world, such as Rome, France, Peru, and the United States of America. One particular backdrop that is a popular request for fans is a Tekken 8 stage based on Waffle House.

Waffle House is an American fast food chain that first opened in 1955, spread across 25 states. The restaurant is also open 24 hours a day. Viral videos have spread online of customers being rowdy with employees throughout the early 2020s have contributed to its reputation. As such, many gamers have argued, ironically or otherwise, that a Waffle House would be a perfect stage in a fighting game like Street Fighter 6 or Tekken 8.

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A tweet from Tekken 8 producer and director Katsuhiro Harada asked fans why some communities were sending requests for "Waffle House," asking for an explanation about the basis for these requests, the original story, history, and background. Fans were quick to reply with explanations about Waffle House's memetic reputation for being associated with brawling inside the premises, some even showing a viral moment of a Waffle House employee deflecting a chair like a parry in a fighting game.

Harada's Response to Waffle House Requests

Following this initial tweet, Harada thanked the many fans for explaining the context of the requests for a Waffle House stage. He notes that despite fans' enthusiasm for the idea, he tempers fan expectations by stating the idea needs to be approved by Waffle House itself. As the restaurant has both the trademark and rights to the name, if Waffle House refuses his proposal, then it will not happen.

Despite Harada's statement, fans expressed how the idea of a dive bar with Tekken 8's destructible stage elements and the fight transitioning from the restaurant itself into the parking lot wouldn't be out of place in the fighting game. Some fans suggested basing a stage on Waffle House but using a parody name in order to skirt the trademark, offering legally distinct alternatives like "Pancake House." Others tagged the Waffle House Twitter account for the idea to gain traction. For the time being, Waffle House being a Tekken 8 stage remains a pipe dream.