Tekken 8 Developers Explain Why They Included an In-Game Shop

Tekken 8 producer Katsuhiro Harada says players found glitching the game to use massive costumes will be banned.

Packing dozens of popular former characters into a shiny and bold new package, Tekken 8 quickly became known as the best game in the series upon its release earlier this year. Although the title includes many callbacks to earlier Tekken games, one popular mode is missing, and executive producer Katsuhiro Harada recently addressed the elephant in the room in an interview with MP1st.

Tekken 8 players are seemingly manipulating in-game objects to turn themselves into gigantic hats and smite opponents. 

A recent rumor has claimed that Dragon Ball FighterZ developer Arc System Works and its publisher, Bandai Namco, have supposedly split ties. The latest update for Dragon Ball FighterZ was dropped near the end of February, adding rollback netcode to improve its online environment, as well as new PS5 and Xbox Series X/S versions. While these features were things fans had waited years for, gameplay clips show that the new update has broken the game in various ways.

Atlus producer Kazushi Wada has addressed why there's no option to play as a female protagonist in Persona 3 Reload, stating it was too expensive to implement. Persona 3 Reload launched this past February 2, which was a full remake of the original 2006 JRPG. Reload implements a number of mechanics and features from past re-releases of Persona 3, such as new scenes and mechanics that weren't in the original game. One feature that many fans wanted to make a return was the inclusion of the female protagonist.

Updated digital store and wishlist pages for Atlus' upcoming Metaphor: ReFantazio have described how its dungeon crawling and social simulation gameplay loop differs from the Persona franchise. Metaphor: ReFantazio was first announced in June 2023 as a brand-new IP from Atlus, tackling a pure high fantasy setting instead of the urban fantasy genre like in the Shin Megami Tensei or Persona franchises. Despite the setting change, Metaphor Re:Fantazio has been shown to share DNA with Atlus' past works.

A new leak has allegedly revealed the name of the rumored Fall Guys-inspired Sonic the Hedgehog spin-off, which is said to be titled Sonic Toys Party. On top of that, this leak has supposedly stated that the game will support up to 32 players in its multiplayer mode. This spin-off is likely to be a part of the franchise's momentum for 2024, as Sega has previously expressed interest in developing Sonic titles exclusively for mobile devices.

A little over a month after its release, Tekken 8 now has an in-game shop where players can spend real-world money to buy cosmetics for their characters. Dubbed the Tekken Shop, the shop is kicking things off with Uniqlo-branded gear, along with other cosmetics like classic costumes and avatar skins.

Bandai Namco has recently released a new update for Tekken 8, which brings a big character customization feature and a lot of balance fixes. Since its release, Tekken 8 has been a big hit for the developer, nailing and innovating on the best parts of the fighting game genre, and these updates show that Bandai Namco is busy trying to make the experience as good as it can be.

Some Tekken 8 players have reacted with anger at the addition of microtransactions to the game, via a premium currency.

After Tekken 8 players criticized the game's post-launch microtransaction plans, the series' creative director has explained why modern games are in dire need of new funds if they're to be supported after launch.

The return of Eddy Gordo, the capoeira specialist who’s been a fan-favorite in the long-running Tekken series since his franchise debut 25 years ago, should have been a slam dunk for Bandai Namco. His absence from the critically-acclaimed Tekken 8 was a serious point of contention between series director Katsuhiro Harada and overzealous fans as early as last summer, and his inclusion via DLC was a step towards correcting the unpopular omission.