Tekken 8: Bandai Namco Plans to Introduce Guest Characters

The upcoming fighting game, Tekken 8, is set to expand its roster with the addition of guest characters.

This revelation was made by the game’s producer, Katsuhiro Harada, who shared that Bandai Namco is considering this move to enhance the game’s appeal.

Expanding the Tekken Universe

Tekken 8, which was announced during PlayStation’s State of Play in September 2022, is set six months after the events of Tekken 7. The game will focus on the relationship between Jin Kazama and his father Kazuya Mishima.

The roster will feature popular characters from the franchise, including Jin’s mother Jun Kazama, Claudio Serafino, Paul Phoenix, Marshall Law, King, Lars Alexandersson, and Jax.

However, the roster won’t stop there. Bandai Namco plans to add more fighters to the roster before Tekken 8’s launch, aiming to pack in more characters than their competitors when the game launches.

Guest Characters: A New Addition

In a new twist, Tekken 8 will introduce guest characters, following the trend set by Tekken 7, which featured characters like Negan Smith from The Walking Dead, Noctis Lucis Caelum from Final Fantasy 15, and Akuma from Street Fighter. However, these guest characters won’t be available at launch.

The development team is currently focused on adding more fighters to the roster for the game’s release, and guest characters will be added to the game afterward. Here’s Tekken 8’s character list so you can get a good idea of what’s to come.

Fans have already started speculating about the potential guest characters. Suggestions include Goro Majima from the Yakuza franchise, Sonic the Hedgehog, Tifa Lockhart from Final Fantasy 7, and even the Mandalorian from the eponymous Disney+ series. It remains to be seen which of these characters, if any, will make it to the final game.

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

Tekken 8: What to Expect

Tekken 8 will introduce various quality-of-life improvements compared to previous entries in the franchise.

This includes an easier way to activate the Rage Art, a new Heat System for delivering fast blows to an opponent, and Special Styles for more accessible controls.

But, what’s the real update that we should be getting an answer to? Yes, that’s right. When exactly does Tekken 8 come out?