After backlash and a Steam review bomb, Tekken 8 dev gives out $5 to cover controversial DLC and says it will do things differently next time
Thanks, Bandai Namco
Tekken 8 - despite being a formidable entry in the 30-year-old fighting game franchise - has been getting on fans' nerves. Its Year 1 Pass did not include the recently released Genmaji Temple stage DLC, a fact that fueled players' existing disappointment over excessive microtransactions. But now, after fans revolted through aggressive Steam review bombing and impassioned Reddit threads, Tekken 8 devs are trying to make things better.
"We apologize for not meeting the community's expectations for the 'Playable Character Year 1 Pass' content and the 'Genmaji Temple' DLC release method," Tekken posted on Twitter.
To pacify players, Tekken 8 will automatically add the upcoming winter battle stage DLC to Year 1 Pass owners' games. Then, it will gift all online Tekken 8 players the cost of Genmaji Temple (500 Tekken coins, or $5) if they log in to the game any time between October 29 and November 26.
"All members of the Tekken Project team continue working to improve Tekken 8, and we appreciate your feedback and continued support of Tekken 8," the developers' Twitter statement continues.
"Actually kind of a huge W," said one very upvoted Reddit comment.
"You guys listen to the community so much," said another popular reply on Twitter. "It's rare nowadays. Thanks!"
Indeed, Tekken notes in its post that it "sincerely [acknowledges]" player feedback, though it would be hard not to when Tekken 8's recent Steam reviews all sound like they might be written by a betrayed lover.
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"Even you Tekken?" one says. "What a damn shame."
It's okay, Steam reviewer, Tekken 8 didn't mean it. It'll make it up to you.
Ashley Bardhan is a critic from New York who covers gaming, culture, and other things people like. She previously wrote Inverse’s award-winning Inverse Daily newsletter. Then, as a Kotaku staff writer and Destructoid columnist, she covered horror and women in video games. Her arts writing has appeared in a myriad of other publications, including Pitchfork, Gawker, and Vulture.