Eddy Gordo Is Tekken 8’s First DLC Fighter, Opening Cinematic Released

Tekken 8 launched last week on the back of plenty of excitement and widespread critical acclaim, and the fighter’s sales seem to be reflecting its critical success. In the UK, at least, the game has got off to a remarkably better start than another recent major fighting release.

The first few weeks of 2024 have thoroughly dispelled the notion that this year was going to be a slower one than the last one, with a string of several excellent new games already having launched in January. Last week, Tekken 8 joined that growing list, and the widespread critical acclaim that Bandai Namco’s fighter has enjoyed is being reflected in its engagement numbers as well.

Tekken 8 is off to a solid start on Steam, as it has surpassed the previous game's concurrent player count on the platform. Tekken 8 is the eighth mainline game in the long-running fighting game franchise, being touted as the grand finale of the Mishima Family storyline. A number of impressive fighting games were released in 2023, with major releases like Street Fighter 6 and Mortal Kombat 1 being praised by fans and critics alike. With that in mind, Tekken 8 had a lot to live up to, and fortunately it seems to be doing just that.

Tekken 8 is finally here, and fans are finally getting their hands on the game's familiar roster, as well as newcomers such as Azucena, Victor, and Reina. However, now that we know which character are in the base roster, attention has turned to potential DLC and guest characters that could be added in the future. In terms of guest characters, there seems to be only one name on the minds of fans, and that's Tifa Lockheart from Final Fantasy 7.

Final Fantasy 7 fans, also known as Tifa Lockhart fans, have a suggestion for veteran Tekken producer Katsuhiro Harada: Put Tifa in Tekken 8. They’ve hounded Harada on social media about including their No. 1 girl so rabidly this week that the producer has been forced to respond, telling the Tifa-loving masses that he fully appreciates their adoration, but that Tekken 8’s guest roster is still being determined.

Tekken director Katsuhiro Harada has made a statement following the heavy volume of requests from fans to see Final Fantasy 7's Tifa Lockhart added to Tekken 8. The long-awaited release of the newest entry in the fighting game franchise has already seen rave reviews from both fans and critics. Many have already referred to Tekken 8 as one of the franchise's strongest entries, praising its upgraded graphical presentation and new mechanics like the Heat system. Now, fans are clamoring for one particular character to join the roster.

Tekken 8 producer Katsuhiro Harada has responded to the demand from fans for Final Fantasy’s Tifa Lockhart to be included in the fighting game as a guest character, but has clarified that nothing has been decided about guest characters yet. 

Almost nine years after the previous game’s launch, Bandai Namco’s Tekken 8 is out now for PS5, Xbox Series X/S and PC. Developed on Unreal Engine 5, it continues the saga of the Mishima clan, with Jin Kazama battling Kazuya Mishima.

Tekken 8 is just a couple of days away from launch, and with reviews having been widely positive, excitement surrounding the fighter’s release is at an all-time high. Ahead of its imminent release, Bandai Namco has revealed a new trailer for the game, shining the spotlight on another one of the 32 characters it will be launching with.

The Tekken 8 countdown is on as the release time is now just one day away. 

The bar for the fighting game genre has been uppercut to astronomical heights in recent years. Exceptional one-on-one combat remains the primary bullet point, but other series have complimented their packages with robust suites of destinations, from cinematic story campaigns to comprehensive training dojos. Although Tekken 8’s fighting remains a treat thanks to some neat tweaks to its strong formula, the rest of the package, while respectable, falls short of some of its contemporaries.

Street Fighter 6 is getting its next DLC fighter next month, and the he psycho-powered boxer Ed is next in line.