Tekken 8 Season 2 has been anything but smooth. What was supposed to be a bold step forward for the iconic fighting franchise has instead stirred controversy, with fans labeling the update as overly aggressive and “too offensive.” The uproar has forced the balance team to reconsider its approach and realign with the community’s expectations.
In a candid interview with IGN, Tekken’s core leadership team Katsuhiro Harada, Michael Murray, and Kohei “Nakatsu” Ikeda addressed the heated feedback. Nakatsu, who oversees balance changes, admitted the update didn’t land as intended.
“For Season 2, I regret that the changes in the game didn’t meet those expectations,” Nakatsu said. “We wanted something new and fresh, but it didn’t turn out the way we hoped. That’s why we rolled out multiple patches to bring the game closer to what players wanted.”
The team emphasized that they are still monitoring the competitive scene closely to ensure further tweaks align with player expectations.
Michael Murray acknowledged the rocky rollout but insisted that the game has already improved:
“We’ve addressed many issues that the community has raised. If people haven’t played in a while, I hope they give it another shot, because a lot has changed through patches.”
Series director Katsuhiro Harada also shed light on why the situation was so complex. Unlike previous Tekken entries, which had years of arcade testing before console release, Tekken 8 launched directly worldwide.
“It was supposed to be a brand-new game, not Tekken 7.5,” Harada said. “But with Season 2, we went too far in one direction.”
Despite the turbulence, the developers remain optimistic. Harada pointed to Tekken 8’s strong launch, its Fighting Game of the Year award, and high review scores as proof that the core formula works. However, he admitted balancing bold innovation with fan expectations remains a challenge.
“We want to do new stuff, but if something doesn’t feel like Tekken, we’re willing to review it,” Harada concluded.
Season 2 may have stumbled, but with ongoing patches and dialogue with the community, Bandai Namco hopes to bring Tekken 8 back into balance without losing the spark that made it a hit at launch.