Missed EVO 2022? Here are the big fighting game announcements from the weekend to catch you up.
EVO 2022 took place over the weekend, and yes, as usual it was an incredible showcase of the best fighting game talent the world has to offer. The winners of EVO games are considered to be world champions in their respective fields, and this year was full of incredible moments throughout every single bracket.
But we’re not here to talk about the fights, not quite yet. Instead it’s time to talk about the announcements. For years EVO has been the premier place to reveal and debut brand new fighting games and updates, and this year was no different. Here are just five of the big announcements we saw from EVO 2022.
The latest entry in the Tekken series has been announced. Kind of. A 3D model of Kazuya has been shown off, at least.
Tekken 8 was announced this weekend during the EVO 2022 fighting game championship. At least, we think it was, going by the vague teaser.
Tekken 7 has been persevering for seven years now, and has fostered an incredibly faithful community that has made the Tekken World Tour one of the biggest events in gaming. We recently spoke with Tekken 7 pros about what they want from Tekken 8.
We’re due for a new entry in the Tekken series, but this weekend’s teaser trailer was a little vaguer than what fans were hoping for.
A year and a half since Tekken 7‘s last update, a brand new trailer confirmed a new balance update to come to Tekken 7, which will introduce “new tactics,” and it also confirmed that the Tekken World Tour finals will take place in Amsterdam in February 2023.
The trailer finished with the climax of the original Tekken game, which sees Kazuya throw an unconscious Heihachi off a cliff. Or into a volcano, depending on how you interpret the environment. A close-up on Kazuya’s PS1 face flashed and transitioned into a brand new 3D model of Kazuya, never before seen.
This definitely hints at the future of the Tekken series, but unfortunately, that was all we had. Players expected a more solid confirmation, like a logo or some gameplay footage, but it certainly seems that Tekken 8 is in development, and we might see more at the Tekken World Tour finals, if not before that.
Of course, this could equally be a new entry in the Tekken series but not a mainline one. Tekken Tag Tournament is a beloved sub-series, and fans would not complain about Tekken Tag Tournament 3 being the next game in the series.
There’s still time to speculate on what we might see from the future of Tekken, but with continued game updates and a new entry on the horizon, the future looks very bright.
Red Bull’s The Pit was home to enormous competition and huge hopes for the future of Tekken esports.
Tekken 7 looks to be nearing the end of its lifecycle, with no planned DLC or updates coming to the game in future, as far we’re aware. Add to that rumours of Tekken 8 on the horizon for new consoles, and it certainly seems like the game that has been played in arcades for the last seven years is winding down. Tekken 7’s support has lasted longer than most console generations, but even the competition among hardcore players is still burning as bright as ever, as proven by Red Bull’s recent event, The Pit 2022.
The Pit took an unconventional approach to tournaments. Instead of the standard selection of 1v1 matches culminating in an ultimate victor, instead teams of three took on other teams and rotated their players for the best results. 16 teams of three players competed for supremacy, but it was the most well-known players that took the wins. Pakistan’s Arslan “Ash” Siddique was present and is regarded as one of, if not the, best Tekken 7 player in the world currently, and he was joined by Atlanta’s Hoa “Anakin” Luu and Chicago’s Jeannail “Cuddle_Core” Carter.
Tekken 7 has been massively successful since release, but that hasn’t come without a few hiccups – namely, COVID19. “It’s funny that we’re here in St. Paul this week, because Minneapolis was the last place that I got to visit before the pandemic, and we shut down for two years. That was a really long two years,” Anakin tells GLHF. “We were at the point in Tekken 7 where popularity was at its peak, there were global tournaments happening multiple times per month. I feel so great to be back. This is the first year we’ve had a full tournament schedule since, and it’s starting to feel normal again.”
Arslan Ash with Cuddle_Core. Tony Libera/Red Bull Content Pool.
“It was so normal to see your friends, see the competitors, that’s your element, right?” Cuddle_Core adds. “The energy, the vibe, the atmosphere, we didn’t have it. So to be back and to adjust to it, after like six or seven tournaments, it feels good, and I remember why I love the offline atmosphere so much.”
While competitive players who thrive on the energy of a global stage have been deprived, the online-only competitive scene that was forced into existence over the last few years has given rise to fierce new competition. “A lot of new players are making a name for themselves who may not have ordinarily been able to, like people who might not be able to travel, or have only recently started playing during the pandemic, and have made a rise to the top really fast,” Anakin explains. “We have players like that all over the world. And now there’s that clash of old school versus new school players from the online era.”
Team Arslan. Tony Libera/Red Bull Content Pool.
And those threats can come from anywhere. “It’s pretty much any international player who has made a name for themselves and is doing massive damage in tournaments, and that goes for every country and region: Europe, Pakistan, Japan, Korea, and even here too,” Cuddle_Core tells us. “They’re coming with a lot of fire and vigor, and they want those points to get in the final as much as we do.”
Tekken World Tour 2022 is well underway, and to get to that final spot players must battle online and travel to tournaments across 16 regions around the globe to earn points. The higher their placements in official tournaments are, the more points they earn, and the better chance they have at being in the finals and winning the grand prize.
Lucky Chloe cosplayer. Darin Kamnetz/Red Bull Content Pool.
But money isn’t everything, and a love of the game has to come first. “I started playing and competing in tournaments as a kid, and at that time, the money I was getting from tournaments was always viewed as supplementary. It was extra,” Anakin explains. “I don’t think you can go to tournaments and take it for granted, look at it as money in the bank. You really don’t know what’s going to happen in a tournament, and I feel like the competition has really risen.”
Despite Anakin’s hesitations, he still managed to pull third place with his team “GOOD ASS TEKKEN” in Red Bull’s The Pit, with Cuddle_Core’s “Team Midwest” taking second place, and Arslan Ash’s “Team Arslan” being the overall champions, as some had anticipated. Not that prize money is too high even in high-profile tournaments in the fighting game community – this event paid out little over $4,000 to the top three teams, with the third-place winners having to split a measly $724 between the three of them.
Red Bull The Pit 2022. Darin Kamnetz/Red Bull Content Pool.
The real prize from coming out on top if the global acclaim, and that’s something all competitors are hoping to carry into the inevitable Tekken 8. “For 8, I would like maybe a smaller roster, and less bloating of moves.” Cuddle_Core shares. “Also, maybe a return to that darker theme from the older Tekken games, and maybe a revisit to the sound design.”
Anakin has hopes that EVO will reveal all, saying: “Right now there’s a lot of buzz around EVO, which is usually where big things are announced for new fighting game projects. I know a lot of people get their hopes up for EVO, and I’m starting to do the same, even though I tend to avoid that.
Tekken 7 competitors. Tony Libera/Red Bull Content Pool.
“I would just really like for them to continue to build off of all the growth and all the expansion that we’ve experienced in Tekken 7.”
These are some of the most memorable games to have their roots in the Land of the Rising Sun.
Japan is a country that can conjure many images in the mind. From cherry blossom-filled parks to Samurai drawing their swords, from towering skyscrapers of futuristic cities to traditional tea ceremonies. As a resident, even my own thoughts are often filled with these cliches, and they often stray back to sushi (especially if it’s lunchtime).
However, with recent world events making outdoor activities slightly less appealing, many people (myself included) have been playing more video games. This recent reconnection with gaming has emphasized how many of the virtual worlds we inhabit in our living rooms can be traced back to Japan.
From the very first incarnations of video games to today’s cinematic masterpieces, so many games have their roots in the spiritual home of gaming. Sometimes this is an obvious link, but on other occasions, the games we play give more subtle clues.
A pricing error had the classic PS1 fighting game go for way too much.
Ah, the wonderful world of pricing errors. It’s a proud tradition that Sony is keeping alive.
On Tuesday, Sony began rolling out the new PlayStation Plus subscription model. Many classics from the PS1 and PS2 eras are already up, including Tekken 2, which briefly was on sale for $9999. Look, it’s probably a great game, but I doubt it’s mortgage-down-payment-worthy. At least get a physical copy if you’re shelling out that much cash, for goodness sake!
Of course, the listing was an accident. Twitter is brimming with people having a laugh over the pricing error, including Tekken director and general manager Katsuhiro Harada. Who believes it’s an excellent price!
Part of me is curious if any hardcore Tekken fans shelled out the cash just as a flex. Probably not, since that would be absolutely absurd.
Thankfully, Tekken 2 is part of the new PS Plus Premium Membership, which only costs $119.99 annually. So there’s no need to break the bank over 20-year-old PS1 games.
