The Tekken series has had some big crossovers with other video games over the years. However, in stark contrast with the star-studded guest cast of Mortal Kombat 1, this may not be the case for the eighth game in the series – at least at launch.
Tekken 8 producer Katsuhiro Harada recently shared that the game will not have any guest characters when it arrives. The decision was made so the devs can focus on working on the actual game characters. However, Bandai Namco may consider guest characters down the line.
“We do not plan to develop guest characters first,” Harada tweeted. “First of all, we are concentrating on “having more early Roasters (sic)” than other fighting game titles (In other words, increase the initial number of default characters).” He adds, “Even if we think about guest characters, it will be after the release.”
We do not plan to develop guest characters first.
First of all, we are concentrating on “having more early Roasters” than other fighting game titles(In other words, increase the initial number of default characters).
Even if we think about guest characters, it will be after the… https://t.co/i13pAYvoKk— Katsuhiro Harada (@Harada_TEKKEN) July 24, 2023
Bandai Namco has introduced several guest characters in previous installments of the fighting game series. In Tekken 7, gamers could choose to play as Negan Smith from The Walking Dead TV show, Noctis Lucis Caelum from Final Fantasy 15, Geese Howard from King of Fighters, and Akuma from Street Fighter.
The new announcement will be interesting for Akuma, as the character has become an integral part of the story for Tekken 7. There is a possibility that the studio may not count him as a guest character as he was part of the plot for the previous title.
There are 16 confirmed characters for Tekken 8 including Paul Phoenix, Bryan Fury, Hwoarang, King II, and Marshall Law. Tekken 8 only be featuring one new character at launch in Jack-8. However, a new version of the robot fighter has been introduced in every title in the series. While Jack-8 is labeled as a new character, we expect him to have a move set similar to previous versions.
Fans have been speculating on which characters could be included in Tekken 8. Goro Majima from the Yakuza franchise, Sonic the Hedgehog, and Tifa Lockhart from Final Fantasy are just some of the characters from video games that fans want to see in the upcoming game. Baki Hanma from the Netflix animated series of the same name has also been suggested by fans.
It will be some time before Tekken 8 gets released and Bandai Namco may introduce additional players from within the fighting game series. However, the recent statement from Harada effectively rules out crossovers perhaps until a few months after release.
Tekken 8 is coming to PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.
