Valuable Development Insight From Harada

Leading up to the release of Tekken 8, all of us have likely seen dozens if not hundreds of different arguments and discussions about its launch roster. "Why is Shaheen there, it should've been Armor King!" or "they only make Eddy a DLC to make money!"

Those are just a few examples (and while I'm at it, what DLC isn't made to make money, come on), but at times like these, it's important to remind yourself that Tekken's roster is already bigger than that of its peers. KoFXV is the only game that can compare in a favorable light when it comes to quantity.

This is something that Harada reminds us in one of his latest posts.

It's easy to make implications that some characters are not in the base roster because developers want to sell them as DLC, but we have to remember that they want to make a good game first and foremost. No matter which characters you pick, someone will inevitably feel excluded, given Tekken's massive and very much beloved roster.

What we already have in Tekken is already considered to be a big and expensive roster, especially when you consider that Tekken characters and its 3D stages are much more difficult and expensive to make than their 2D counterparts.

Finally, there is always the matter of publishers vs developers. People who make the actual game typically just want to make something that is as good and as complete as it could be. If it was possible, we would be getting free DLC and constant updates, but the reality of it is that the developers are often at odds with the publishers who have to ensure the profits.

For now, it's best to just wait until release, and see where the game goes from there. Tekken 8 will inevitably expand over time and likely feature almost everyone you could wish for.