More than seven years since Tekken 7 came out in 2015, Bandai Namco has confirmed Tekken 8.
Bandai Namco was part of the surprise State of Play showcase held by Sony where we got first-ever footage of the next-gen fighting game months after it was teased at EVO 2022.
The first trailer for Tekken 8 took the two most prominent figures in Tekken history and let them have at it in classic Tekken fashion. It's safe to say Tekken 8 will be the prettiest game in the series.
To drum up the hype for the next-gen fighting game even further, Tekken series producer, Katsuhiro Harada, claimed that the trailer was "taken directly from a certain part in the current work-in-progress Tekken 8's story mode, played on PlayStation 5."
Here's what Harada said in the official PlayStation blog:
In the trailer, you can see this level of quality in the newly created playable character models that completely sets itself apart from the current Tekken 7, and in little details like how water droplets run down the character’s skin. This is not footage created solely for trailer purposes, but an actual real-time rendering of what is happening on the game screen.
Unfortunately, we didn't get a release date for Tekken 8. Judging by its trailer, we shouldn't expect it to come out soon.
The closest potential release date for Tekken 8 is at EVO 2023 after Sony bought the premiere fighting game tournament last year. Also, releasing Tekken 8 next year would pave the way for a seismic clash with fellow fighting game mainstay, Street Fighter 6. The latest installment in Capcom's fighting game is coming out next year for next-gen consoles and the PC.
To be clear, Tekken 8 isn't a PlayStation exclusive. Tekken 8 will also come out on the PC and the Xbox Series S/X.
Speaking of Tekken, the best-selling fighting game franchise is getting more mainstream attention by way of Tekken: Bloodline. The anime adaptation based on the events of Tekken 3 has not been renewed for a second season despite posting stellar numbers.
