Much like other fighting game franchises, the Tekken series is no stranger to long pauses in between new installments. The last Tekken game, Tekken 7, came out in 2015. That was seven years ago.
Before that, Tekken 6 launched in 2007 and the gap between the two games marked an eight-year period without a new Tekken installment, from 2007 and 2015. To date, the gap between Tekken 6 and Tekken 7 is the longest in the series. Tekken 8 could break this drought if it comes out in 2024. However, that is highly unlikely after the events of EVO 2022.
Bandai Namco teased the new Tekken game at EVO 2022. A clip appeared in the middle of the event showing Kazuya's ending from the first Tekken game after defeating his father, Heihachi, and dropping him off a cliff. Afterward, the camera zooms in on Kazuya smiling as his face is then replaced by an older, scarred version of himself with the same red eye that he gained following Tekken 4.
"GET READY," the teaser says. This sent fans in attendance and the rest of the fighting game community world into a frenzy.