Tekken 8 Fans Are Blasting the Fighting Game Following Battle Pass Announcement

Tekken 8 is starting to burn its player base.

By Logan Moore

Tekken 8 fans are not happy in the slightest with Bandai Namco Entertainment's decision to incorporate a Battle Pass in the fighting game. When Tekken 8 launched earlier this year, it was incredibly well-received by both fans and critics alike. Not only did the latest Tekken title sit at a staggering 90/100 on Metacritic, making it one of the best-reviewed games so far in 2024, but it also sold at an astonishingly high rate in its first month. Despite this overwhelming acclaim, though, Bandai Namco seems to have greatly upset its fanbase with some new moves related to the project. 

Within the past week, Bandai Namco announced that it would be bringing a Battle Pass to Tekken 8. For the most part, Battle Passes have become quite common in a litany of games over the years, but they're definitely more common in free-to-play titles. As a result, many fans are frustrated to see that Bandai Namco would choose to bring new content to Tekken 8 only to then lock it behind a Battle Pass that has to be purchased on top of the game's $69.99 entry fee. This move comes in tandem with frustration that has already been levied at Tekken 8's in-game store. 

In the wake of this announcement, many Tekken 8 players have taken to Steam to voice their displeasure. Recent reviews on Steam have now dropped to a "Mixed" rating, which indicates that Bandai Namco seems to be losing the adoration of some fans. Overall, Tekken 8 still boasts a "Ver Positive" rating on Steam, but a number of the title's latest reviews all point to the Battle Pass an in-game shop as reasons behind their annoyance. 

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"Bandai Namco went full greed-mode," said one review from user Razcal, who has 150 hours logged on Tekken 8. "Scummy doesn't even begin to describe it, I can't recommend a product that's leaning so heavily towards such shady practices. It's a shame, because the core game itself is a lot of fun."

For now, it's not known if Bandai Namco will take any of this feedback and potentially change course when it comes to Tekken 8's upcoming monetization practices. As for the Battle Pass itself, Bandai Namco hasn't yet announced when it will formally become available in Tekken 8, but more information will likely emerge in the coming days. 

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