Highlights
- Katsuhiro Harada, director of Tekken 8, condemns harassment and threats against developers over missing characters in the game.
- Abusive comments from fans can lead to increased security costs and potential cancellation of events, affecting both developers and players.
- Harada's message highlights the negative impact of threats, causing companies to potentially withhold demanded features or characters.
Katsuhiro Harada, the director of Tekken 8, is speaking out against harassment and threats against developers over missing characters in upcoming games. The latest entry in Bandai Namco's long-running fighting game series is currently in development with production being led by Harada, who is a veteran of the series. Tekken 8 is among the fighting games to look forward to next year, and many fans are hoping this iteration will be the biggest yet for the franchise.
Lots of great features have already been confirmed for Tekken 8 so far, and lots of gamers are eager to check out the new title. Of course, fighting games need a solid roster of characters to truly win over players, and fans of a given series tend to have favorites that they want to see in every sequel. Sadly, this appreciation for characters can take a dark turn for some gamers online. Sometimes, a fan will direct abusive or threatening comments against developers when they discover their chosen fighter won't be appearing in a game. Now, Harada has a message for gamers that engage in such behavior.
On Twitter, Harada posted a message in response to some recent threats against developers over Tekken 8 characters. The game director called such abuse "silly" and emphasized that is causes problems both for the developers and for other fans. Specifically, threats can lead to increased security at events or even cancelation of appearances. Further, out of a desire to not be seen to be giving in to threats, company leadership may even deliberately not include characters or features that were demanded in a threatening manner.
Since the roster for Tekken 8 leaked online, some players have been excited and some have been dissapointed. Apparently, one gamer was upset by the absence of Eddy from the current list and made a comment online about hitting Harada with a hammer. While the tweet appears to have been hyperbolic and intended as a joke, many are taking such statements seriously. Harada included a picture of the offending tweet with his message to illustrate the sorts of fan-statements that are counterproductive.
This isn't the first time the development team has had to scold players over innapropriate behavior. Recently, Bandai Namco had to issue a warning to Tekken 8 fans over a separate issue. Threats and harrasment, however, are a much more serious matter and it's good to see industry leaders taking a stand against it.
How Harada's statement will impact the Tekken 8 fan base and online discourse surrounding the game remains to be seen. For now, the majority of gamers who are respectful and supportive of developers will have to hope that others will take the message to heart.
Tekken 8 is currently in development for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.
