Season 3 for Tekken 8 has been revealed by Bandai Namco and in an effort to prevent a similar mistake from the previous season, the studio is making sure that this update uses a “back to basics” type of approach with content, balance tweaks and new characters. Tekken 8 has continued to evolve and grow from its launch state through countless patches and updates, new content being added and already 2 seasons of characters joining the roster.
But in the last 2 years, Tekken 8 has already experienced many ups and downs since its launch. The game got off to a solid start and sold extremely well in its first month, followed by a first season that featured many favorite additions such as Eddy Gordo and Heihachi Mishima. However, things took an unfortunate turn for Season 2, when Bandai Namco introduced a number of controversial changes to Tekken 8which upsets players and forces the studio to make a quick pivot. With Season 3 on the horizon, Bandai Namco has seemingly learned its lesson.
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Tekken 8 Season 3 Content and Release Date
Starting next week on February 9, Tekken 8 fans can pick up the Season 3 Pass, which includes 4 new characters launching in 2026. For Season 3, Tekken 8 looks into his past, starting with the return of the ninja Kunimitsu from Tekken 7 sometime in late spring, a character also based on her mother dating all the way back to the original game in the series. Not much was shown for Kunimitsu, outside of some images from previous games as well as what appears to be her stage entrance and new look which includes a flame scarf.
While fighting games usually wait to announce DLC characters until closer to release, Tekken 8 didn't hold back after exposing Kunimitsu. In addition, the veteran fighter is joined by two additional older characters, with Bob launching sometime this summer, and the fighting kangaroo, Roger Jr, set to launch this fall. In addition to that, the trailer teases a mysterious character for winter along with a brand new scene. As expected, fans who pick up the Season 3 Pass will get 120 hours of Early Access as well as the Aurora Outfit Pack, a total of 44 in-game costumes for the entire roster that appear to add color-style effects.
For many fans, the biggest part of Season 3 launches on March 10 with the balance adjustment update. As the trailer indicates, this tweak is intended to be more “focused” and “conventional” as well as the complete opposite of the controversies that erupted with season 2 of Tekken 8. In fact, player backlash was so strong for many of the changes made in Season 2 that it took Bandai Namco months to fix the issues through various updates and even completely replace the balance team.
For Season 3, Bandai Namco isn't making sweeping changes to the current battle system, choosing instead to refine and make adjustments that continue to respect “each character's concept, strengths, and weaknesses.” Bandai Namco is also launching a feedback portal where players can submit issues, bugs and other types of feedback directly to the development team. The full patch notes and balance details are scheduled to be released on March 17th.
In addition to the new content, Tekken 8 will kick off its second anniversary from February 9th to March 15th. The in-game store will discount various cosmetics by 50% over the course of 5 weeks, along with special customization packs that players can download for free during the distribution period.
Interestingly, season 3 will be the start of a new era for Tekken franchise as a whole. In a surprise announcement late last year, the now-ex Tekken director Katsuhiro Harada announced his retirement and departure from Bandai Namco. Harada has been synonymous with Tekken franchise for the past 30 years, and has also served as the face of the franchise alongside producer Michael Murray, making both typical appearances at events and showing fans new trailers. While Harada previously hinted at one Tekken 9 likely his last, certain events in 2025, such as the passing of Tomonobu Itagaki, have seemingly had a profound effect on the creator, changing his perspective.
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January 26, 2024
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