Tekken 8 reignited the spark of Bandai Namco’s long-running series with a roster full of worthy fighters in a whole new game. Customization with skins and costumes was highly desired and in the 1.02.01 patch on Thursday, February 29, Bandai Namco finally launched the Tekken Shop where you can obtain new styles for free, or for real-life money. It’s the paid items in the shop, however, that have caused some controversy.
To purchase items in Tekken 8, players must first purchase Tekken Coins. For this, coins are only available in bundles. A 500 coin bundle, for example, is worth $4.99, but many of the character skins in the Tekken Shop only cost 400, leaving players with surplus coins.
The Tekken 8 subreddit was quick to react to the cost of the Tekken Shop given that the fighting game already costs a base level of $70. One user said, “For 5500 Tekken coins I could buy another full game,” and another wrote, “So now Tekken 8 is a mobile phone gacha.”
Tekken series director Katsuhiro Harada took to Twitter to defend the inclusion of microtransactions, citing the fact that development costs are now “ten times more expensive.” The Tekken Store, as mentioned previously, also includes free items alongside the ones players can choose to purchase, so perhaps you’re better stocking up on them instead.
If you’re still pondering whether or not to purchase Tekken 8, we’ve got our full Tekken 8 review here. If you’re already in-game and brawling, though, we have a Tekken 8 tier list to help you out in those online skirmishes.
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