Tekken 8 – Nina’s been a mainstay since the very first game (pic: Bandai Namco)



While another fighter is announced for Tekken 8, developer Arika has been recruited to assist with the series’ online features.



In case you weren’t aware, the Tekken World Tour tournament wrapped up over the weekend, so it came as no surprise that Bandai Namco used the event to share new information on Tekken 8 .



Aside from announcing another returning fighter – Nina Williams – for the game’s roster, it also shared a meaty 36-minute video of executive director Katsuhiro Harada and game director Kohei Ikeda running through all the new gameplay mechanics.



One particularly interesting revelation is that Bandai Namco has enlisted support from another Japanese studio, Arika, which was founded by former Capcom employees, including Street Fighter 2 co-creator Akira Nishitani.



While it describes its involvement as contracted work, rather than being a co-developer, Bandai Namco has brought in Arika specifically to assist with Tekken 8’s online components.



‘We will provide advice on our developed online battle algorithms and game response, as well as undertake production work to improve the user experience,’ reads a statement from Arika, which fighting game fans hope will mean Tekken 8 will make use of rollback netcode.




Notice regarding contracted development work for the “TEKKEN” series. https://t.co/eeYVfTtFHA — 株式会社アリカ公式アカウント (@arika_co_jp) February 6, 2023




Arika’s involvement doesn’t stop there either, as it states that it will ‘continue to be involved in the development of the Tekken series,’ meaning it’s entered a long-term agreement with Bandai Namco.



As such, it’s also assisting with an update for Tekken 7 , in terms of general improvements to that game’s online functionality.









In case you’re unfamiliar with Arika, it has plenty of experience with fighting games. Aside from developing Capcom’s Street Fighter EX series, it went on to make a spiritual successor titled Fighting EX Layer.



It’s also the studio responsible for those peculiar Nintendo Switch exclusive battle royale games, like Tetris 99 and Pac-Man 99 .



As for the aforementioned Nina, her reveal trailer shows off her new get-up and gameplay. While she retains her assassination fighting style, Bandai Namco is promising new abilities that fit with the game’s new ‘aggressiveness’ philosophy. Apparently, this includes giving her twin pistols.



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While Tekken 8 still lacks any sort of release window, a closed alpha test is shortly planned for select locations. However, it will be done entirely in-person and, so far, is only confirmed for Evo 2023, which is taking place in Japan from March 31 to April 2.



The next Tekken 7 tournament, Tekken World Tour 2023, will be featured as part of Evo 2023 as well, when Bandai Namco will no doubt reveal at least one more fighter. You can learn more about the event at its official website .



Tekken 8 is in development for Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5, and PC.









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