The Tekken 8 drama continues as more and more players join the boycotts following Bandai Namco's mishandling of the game's balance and quality-of-life features in the new Season 2 update.
As of this writing, around 4,600 players are actively participating in the boycott through the “Boycott Tekken 8” website. The movement includes a wide range of players; from casual fans to high-level competitors, long-time veterans, and even tournament-level participants. Many of them have spent years mastering Tekken, and only now are they voicing their frustrations after Bandai Namco and the development team failed to address the game’s core issues.
The website also showcased how many days and months a player has stopped playing Tekken 8, as well as the number of years they’ve been playing the franchise.
The Season 2 update, which introduced the return of classic character Nina Williams, has been met with overwhelmingly negative feedback. According to the boycott statement: “This game now heavily revolves around 50/50 guesses, making every match feel like a coin flip rather than a test of player skill. Characters have lost their individuality. The balancing is horrible and everyone feels overpowered due to a lack of counterplay.”
click to enlargeThe backlash has been so strong that the update has drastically changed the game’s public perception, with over 4,000 players leaving “Overwhelmingly Negative” reviews on Steam.
Boycotters aren’t just upset about the state of the game, they’re also criticizing Bandai Namco’s communication.
“Communication from the developers has been disappointing. Promises about prioritizing defense were broken with a patch that worsened the experience for many players,” one statement reads.
What was supposed to be a major update focused on defensive gameplay instead forced players to relearn core mechanics, abandoning much of what they had built into their muscle memory. It’s a lot to take in, and that’s why so many have turned to this online protest, not out of malice, but because they still care deeply about the future of Tekken 8.
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