The news of an upcoming in-game shop for Tekken 8 in the near future has caused an uproar among fans. Players are voicing their frustration over Bandai Namco’s decision to introduce the shop post-launch, a move many see as dishonest. The unexpected addition has sparked accusations of deceit, leaving a sour note in the otherwise highly regarded game.
Tekken 8 has enjoyed a tremendously successful launch, with 2 million copies sold in three weeks. It is precisely because of its overwhelmingly positive reception that this new, unannounced, in-game shop has got the community fearing the worst. To quote just one out of many Tekken fans on Reddit, “Tekken 8 couldn’t just come out and be a good game, they had to add some bull**** business practices in post-launch.”
The strong feeling of deceit by the community stems from the late introduction of the shop weeks after the game’s initial release, a move seen as a deliberate attempt to sidestep early criticism. One player encapsulated the community’s sentiment: “It’s not about the shop. It’s about it not launching with it BECAUSE they knew it would be unpopular. It’s shady and it’s anti-consumer and that’s the issue. Idc if there’s a shop just own the choice and don’t retroactively edit the ESRB rating to avoid blowback.” The lack of transparency by Bandai Namco has clearly triggered strong feelings among the player base.
One Tekken fan summed up the overarching feeling of deception and dishonesty by the community: “It feels incredibly dishonest to sell an egregiously priced deluxe edition and then announce your micro-transactions only a few weeks after release.” Micro-transactions seem to be the main source of anxiety among fans who are concerned the game might follow in the footsteps of other franchises with exploitative business models. But without further information from Bandai Namco on the details of what this online shop will entail, rumors of microtransactions are, for now, just that. Nonetheless, the Tekken community is mentally bracing for what is to come.
On the flip side, some fans of the franchise look forward to the myriad of customization options the shop could open up. As one fan on Reddit jokingly wrote, “G-corp labeled speedos are already being created for all male characters.” Speedos or not, the current customization options lack the variety and wackiness that Tekken is known for. This might have been done so deliberately to manufacture an artificial need for additional content.
The in-game shop will most likely be announced as soon as next week during Bandai Namco’s live Post-Release Roadmap stream on YouTube.
