This year’s EVO event has come to an end, and one noteworthy theory revolves around the Tekken fighting series. Tekken was originally released for arcades in 1994, then ported to PlayStation one year later. Various sequels have been released, with the latest being Tekken 7 in 2015. Bandai Namco presented a trailer for the next Tekken 7 update at EVO, but something else caught the attention of many fans. After the announcement of the global finals, a cutscene from the first installment of Tekken was featured. Fans recognized this classic scene where Kazuya Mishima throws his father Heihachi off a cliff. The camera zooms in on Kazuya’s face, static suddenly flashes, then a more photorealistic image of Kazuya smirking is shown. A voice tells the audience to “get ready.”
What does this quick image mean? A remastered edition of the original game or a sneak peek of Tekken 8? Probably not the former. Kazuya’s left eye is red in the polished version, a detail that would not appear until Tekken 4. The next chapter in the series would make sense since the previous chapter has been out for seven years. Tekken 7 was well-received by many gamers; it was rated 9/10 on Steam and 9.5/10 on IGN. IGN described the game as “a love letter to the long-running franchise and its staggering complexity” in their review. According to series director Katsuhiro Harada, Tekken 7 has sold more than 9 million copies to date. Despite the praise and anticipation from fans, Bandai Namco has not made an official announcement regarding the release of Tekken 8.
It is worth mentioning that the trailer also promises balance adjustments and new tactics will be included in the free update. Even if the five-second tease at the end is not a preview for Tekken 8, fans can still look forward to a new Tekken project.
The Tekken 7 update will be available on August 17 for PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S.