Tekken 8 was celebrated by many fans and critics at release. However, after almost 15 months, it looks different. Steam reviews sharply criticize the fighting game. The head of the series now wants to change some things.
What is the problem with Tekken 8? Tekken 8 was quite well received at release on January 26, 2024. Critics praised the fighting game. On Metacritic, it achieved a score of 90/100 based on 96 reviews. However, after almost 16 months, the community’s opinion is quite different.
While the peak player count at release reached 49,977, the player numbers over the last 3 months have mostly been between 5,000 and 7,000 players. On April 1, the peak count reached nearly 16,000 players, coinciding with the release of the new patch featuring the new character Anna. Shortly after, numbers went down again (via SteamDB).
The Steam reviews also dropped sharply. Currently, the game stands at Steam overall at Mixed
, with recent reviews even at Mostly Negative
.
Especially the game’s direction is being criticized. Tekken 8 has been a game with an aggressive play style from the beginning, but a major Season 2 update further emphasized the offensive. So much so that even professionals have considered quitting.
Another point of criticism was the announcement of the DLC character Fahkumram, who was already quite unpopular among players in Tekken 7. To address player feedback, the head of the franchise announced changes to the balancing team.
An old pro is supposed to fix it now
What does the head of Tekken want to change? On May 8, Katsuhiro Harada, the Game Director of Bandai Namco’s fighting games, announced on X.com that the structure of the balancing team would change. The team consisted of new members, but now experienced developers are to return to this team. He especially emphasizes Kouhei Nakatsu
Ikeda, whom we all know and love.
He is the Game Director of Tekken 8, and according to Harada, Ikeda originally comes from the fan community, so there should be no concerns about the future of the game.
He is supposed to review the changes and tuning to the combat in detail and confirm them beforehand. He also worked on Tekken 7 and Tekken Tag Tournament 2 (via Moby Games). The first phase of changes is expected in May, and in June patches regarding defense are planned for release (via X.com).
Are we seeing initial steps towards changes? On May 13, the Tekken 8 Patch 2.01 was released. The moves of many characters have been nerfed with the new patch. The offensive Heat Bursts are especially being adjusted, and damage from air combos is also reduced.
While the changes do not seem to be well-received by all players, many praise under the official X post that it seems to be going in the right direction, even though some negative comments feel it’s not enough.
Tekken 8 has a long way to go to regain the trust of the players. This is particularly bitter as the game was loved by many at release. MeinMMO editor Nikolas Hernes was also eagerly awaiting it: My Game of the Year 2024 comes out next week and reminds me of how I virtually fought with my grandma
