Bandai Namco has promised another patch coming in mid-May for Tekken 8. The release of Season 2 has not gone as planned, leading to significant backlash from its player community. Fans were particularly unhappy with the new balance changes and the introduction of the first DLC character of the new season, Anna Williams, which resulted in an “Overwhelmingly Negative” rating on its Steam store page.
Series producer Katsuhiro Harada has responded to the criticism, stating, “I personally do not think this backlash is at all unjustified.” This acknowledgment came via a response to a fan on Twitter through Automaton Media. Typically, updates for Tekken 8 coincide with the release of new DLC fighters. However, the dissatisfaction with Season 2’s changes resulted in an urgent need to address the issues.
The official Tekken Twitter account announced an emergency patch would be released on Thursday, April 17, at 11am JST. The Season 2 update aimed at rectifying concerns that Tekken 8 was too focused on offense. Yet ironically, it made the game even more offensive.
Tekken responds to backlash
The Tekken account stated, “We are aware that the certain added moves and performance adjustments in Season 2 have shifted too heavily toward offense. We sincerely apologize for the results.”
The forthcoming patch will include several adjustments.
These include increasing maximum health to allow for more exchanges in neutral, gradual adjustments to overly high-reward moves, and rebalancing the offensive and defensive aspects of the Heat System. Furthermore, another major patch is set to arrive in mid-May. Harada and the Tekken team are familiar with navigating turbulent times.
Harada recently shared he left Namco for a year following the negative reception of Tekken 4. Despite the current challenges, Harada reaffirmed their commitment to making steady improvements and regaining players’ trust. “We will continue to make steady, meaningful improvements one by one,” he said.
Tekken 8’s development team remains dedicated to addressing the community’s feedback and enhancing the game’s balance and playability.
Image Credits: Photo by Fredrick Tendong on Unsplash
April Isaacs is a news contributor for DevX.com She is long-term, self-proclaimed nerd. She loves all things tech and computers and still has her first Dreamcast system. It is lovingly named Joni, after Joni Mitchell.
