Tekken 8 Adding Microtransactions With New Shop Feature

Highlights

• Tekken 8 could be introducing microtransactions with the new Tekken Shop, prompting mixed reactions from fans online.
• Some fans defend the addition of microtransactions given the game’s content, while others view it negatively.
• Bandai Namco may address the controversy during the upcoming Tekken Talk livestream to maintain player goodwill.

Tekken 8 might be adding microtransactions through its new Tekken Shop, and fans are already divided. The latest Tekken game launched back in January to rave reviews, with many praising Tekken 8 for its plot, “aggressive” gameplay, and improved visual presentation. Tekken 8 has already surpassed publisher Bandai Namco’s sales expectations mere weeks after release, and this success will likely continue as the game’s post-launch DLC wave is released – starting with the fan favorite Capoeira expert Eddy Gordo.

However, it seems that Tekken 8 will continue a controversial trend in the gaming industry: microtransactions. Players can purchase additional items with real-life currency in countless video games, but microtransactions have come under intense scrutiny when used in full-price, triple-A fighting game releases. For example, Street Fighter 6 came under fire over the usually high cost of its alternate DLC character skins. Likewise, Mortal Kombat 1 drew considerable backlash for charging players to unlock special Fatalities like the Halloween-themed kill animation released last October.

Tekken 8 recently indicated that it will be adding its own microtransactions through its upcoming Tekken Shop, as revealed in an in-game message players received when logging in earlier this week. Fans initially theorized that this new shop will use Tekken 8’s in-game Fight Money currency for its purchases, but the announcement message seemingly disproves this by stating that the game’s ESRB rating has been updated to mention “In-Game Purchases,” all but confirming that real-world money will be involved.

Tekken 8’s Upcoming Microtransactions Are Already Dividing Fans

The news of Tekken 8’s possible microtransaction store has already garnered a mixed response online. While some are decrying the implication of microtransactions as a universally negative thing, others feel that Tekken 8 deserves the benefit of the doubt given how much content is already in the base game. These fans see no issue with Tekken 8 selling legacy skins of existing characters and other minor cosmetic items at a reasonable price, along with the already confirmed DLC characters like the aforementioned Eddy Gordo.

There is currently no official word on when the microtransaction-based Tekken Shop will be added to Tekken 8 or what it might entail, but such information could come during this week’s confirmed Tekken Talk livestream. The announcement itself has already sparked a discourse among Tekken 8’s large fanbase, so Bandai Namco may wish to tread carefully when it comes to the game’s upcoming microtransaction model if it wishes to retain the goodwill Tekken 8 has generated in less than a month on the market.