Tekken 8 Patch 1.04 is filled with major updates that aim to improve the game's experience. With the player count rapidly dropping on a daily basis, could the latest update lure Tekken fans back to the game?

Tekken 8 Steam Charts

Back when the Tekken 8 first launched, fans gave it a warm reception as it introduced smoother and more graphically pleasing gameplay. Steam's player count peaked at an all-time high of 49,997 active players. The game maintained an impressive 25,000+ players throughout its first month. However, due to certain reasons, people slowly gave up on the game.

Tekken Shop

Initially, a small amount of players left the game due to typical reasons such as specific characters being too overpowered. But then, Bandai Namco introduced the Tekken Shop, which rubbed many players the wrong way.

The Tekken Shop is an in-game store where players can use real-world money to buy cosmetics for their favorite characters. One of the things fans couldn't fathom was the idea of disregarding the existing in-game currency known as Tekken coins. These coins can be accumulated through fighting online daily. Tekken coins are typically used to purchase cosmetics as well, however, the Tekken Shop offers more premium items which makes grinding for coins seem a bit useless.

This led to a lot of backlash from the fanbase as they felt Bandai Namco was only focused on grabbing their money. The developers explained that Tekken 8 was a high-budget game to make and need to find other means to make their money back. Unfortunately, microtransactions in a paid game will never sit well with players, no matter the reason.

Eddy Gordo and the Fight Pass

Just when you thought things couldn't get worse, the return of Eddy Gordo and the introduction of the new Fight Pass practically ruined Tekken 8. Eddy made his debut in the game alongside the Fight Pass back on April 5. At that point, 15,946 players were still actively playing. From their release up until the second day, the player count grew to 16,319. Sad to say, the game went on a rapid decline from that point.

As mentioned earlier, fans dislike microtransactions especially if it's in a paid game. Tekken 8's Fight Pass is Bandai Namco's version of a battle pass often seen in other live service games. While some might appreciate the concept of having a pass to grind for more rewards, Tekken's pass doesn't seem to hit the mark. The majority of the rewards don't seem to be worth real money due to how underwhelming their impact is. Players won't necessarily get special costumes that aren't on par with the regular cosmetics in the vanilla shop.

Then there's the Eddy Gordo problem. While many Eddy fans rejoiced, many also didn't like the way the Capoeira master turned out. Bandai made the Brazilian fighter a bit easier to use in Tekken 8. Players can easily hit combos simply by spamming one button. This annoyed online players as they hated the idea of getting beat by a newbie who is most likely mashing buttons.

Fast forward to the present day, the game's player count on Steam as of May 7, 2024, is at 7,822.

Tekken 8 Patch 1.04 Can Potentially Save the Game

As of the time of this writing, Tekken 8 Patch 1.04 has fully commenced. The only thing missing right now is the players' feedback.

In Bandai's latest patch notes, the developers revealed major changes coming to the game. They made huge adjustments to characters that were too overpowered and too weak. Fighters like Asuka and Leroy got buffed which should encourage many players who main as them. Then there are fighters like Dragunov who received a huge nerf due to his hits dealing hefty damage. Aside from the adjustments of characters, the developers also worked on major bug fixes which should resolve issues such as characters tending to whiff despite visually colliding with each other.

Having all that in mind, this could be the Bandai's opportunity to restore its player base. However, there's always that possibility of their situation getting worse. For now, everything remains to be seen.

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