With the release on 26 January 2024, the Tekken series will get its eighth part after almost nine years, which is also supposed to take over eSports. As a big new feature the Heat system holds out – the offense is to become trump.
Nearly nine years after the release of Tekken 7, Bandai Namco is sending its successor into the race on 26 January 2024. The eighth part of the fighting series was also present at gamescom and could be played. The focus of the gameplay innovations is said to be the Heat system, which can strengthen offensive punching power for ten seconds. By activating the Heat display, powerful moves and combos can be executed once per round to cause more damage.
“That’s where aggressiveness is rewarded a lot,” Marco Süß, PR director for the German region, told eSport. “The Heat system is something for the offensive, not for the cautious approach. You have to make the first move. Then give it a go and stick with it to reward yourself.” The new meta is likely to favour a brasher approach – but the old familiar “rock-paper-scissors” system remains. “Something always beats its counterpart with some skill,” said Süß.
Public feedback: heat too complex, effects too flashy
However, the Heat system is not yet at a satisfactory level. After the latest round of feedback, Bandai Namco is currently doing loops to find the right balance. For this, the developer has its own team consisting of former Tekken eSports players. However, it was mainly the public feedback received at EVO 2023 at the beginning of August, among others, that led to the revision. The complexity of the Heat feature was a major issue.
“I wouldn’t say the player feedback was negative,” producer Michael Murray told eSport. “A lot of people have loved it. There was a lot of constructive feedback. For example, some people thought the effects were too flashy and overdone. For others, the combos were too long.” Various aspects of the Heat system were consequently still being worked on, he said, adding that there should still be some changes before release.
“Make a big leap” – World Tour 2024 in Tekken 8
It would also be important to have a balanced feature of this scale for the future of eSports. Indeed, this lies in Tekken 8, which will take over on a competitive level. “This year we’re celebrating the big farewell of Tekken 7 in eSports,” Murray confirmed. The World Tour Finals in January will be “the last hurrah” for the outgoing title. Bandai Namco did not yet want to reveal details about the adjustments in eSports that will accompany the switch to Tekken 8.
Basically, however, according to Murray, a growth in the scene can be observed. He himself was even “surprised” that the number of participants as well as spectators is continuously increasing every year. “We will take this development into account and want to make a big leap with Tekken 8,” the producer announced. “We are always looking for ways to improve the Tekken World Tour.”