Bandai Namco is officially working on Tekken 8, the developer announced as part of Tuesday's PlayStation State of Play. Tekken fans have been anxiously awaiting news regarding the future of the franchise after Bandai Namco dropped a major teaser during EVO 2022. Few expected a surprise announcement during a September PlayStation State of Play, though. Those fans likely won't complain too much, now that it's clear Tekken 8 will be arriving before long.
The Tekken 8 teaser shown during EVO 2022 didn't give away much. The fans were pointed to the screen above the EVO stage where an eight-second video played. The video starts with a clip from the original Tekken where Kazuya throws his father, Heihachi, off a cliff and then turns toward the screen and smirks. Only, as the original PlayStation-era Kazuya smirked, he transformed into a modern high-fidelity version of himself. The video then ended with a message reading, "Get Ready."
Tekken fans are hopefully now ready, as the PlayStation State of Play announcement trailer for Tekken 8 didn't hold back. Captured from a PlayStation 5, the trailer started with an in-engine cinematic showdown between Kazuya and his son, Jin Kazama. The trailer then segues directly into gameplay with the pair battling on a rocky stage, rain pouring down, and crackling lightning in the background. The trailer ends with Jin activating his Devil gene to take an advantage in the fight.
A blog post from Tekken 8 chief producer Katsuhiro Harada has since confirmed that this sequence is taken from Tekken 8's story mode. It's real-time gameplay running at 60fps on Playstation 5. Harada asks Tekken fans to notice the updated character models, how the rain droplets roll off characters' skin, the stage's dynamic weather effects, and the seamless transitions between gameplay and cinematic flourish. Harada hopes it's clear how Tekken 8 "sets itself apart" from Tekken 7.
To say that Tekken 8 sets itself apart from Tekken 7 is a significant under exaggeration. Tekken 7 was originally released on arcade machines in 2015, eventually arriving on PC and consoles in 2017. It's a seven-year-old game. That's not to say Tekken 8 isn't visually impressive, it absolutely is, but it's also clear this is more than just a generational step forward.
While today's Tekken 8 announcement trailer is certainly more substantial than the teaser shared during EVO 2022, it's also a teaser in its own right. Harada confirms that while Tekken 8 is in development, it isn't far enough along for Bandai Namco to confirm a release date yet. He asks fans to "wait a little longer," which they'll likely find easier now that Tekken 8 gameplay has been shared.
Tekken 8 is in development for PS5.