Tekken 8 launched with a flurry of kicks and combos, reaching a peak of over 46,000 concurrent players on Steam. That number, however, has taken a King-sized tumble compared to its main competitor, Street Fighter 6. While Street Fighter 6 boasts a current player base of 15,368 (with an all-time peak of 70,540), Tekken 8 currently sits at a much lower 10,788 players (all-time peak: 46,139). While some player drop-off is natural for fighting games. Whilst SF6 has similar issues, Tekken 8's steeper decline suggests something more is at play.

Steam provides a robust infrastructure for online play. This was especially true during the Tekken 7 era, where higher quality hardware on PC offered a better online experience. Strong online play is essential for a fighting game's long-term success; and because of this, the health of a fighting game on Steam is a strong indicator of its overall health (even though there are many players on other platforms with separate data to analyze). We believe the story on the PC platform is likely the clearest picture we can get, on how the playerbase is feeling.

Our bruised knuckles point towards some questionable decisions by Bandai Namco that might be dampening player morale. The recent Version 1.03.01 update introduced a flurry of unintended consequences, with glitches and wonky character behaviors throwing off combos and generally causing frustration. While the developers have acknowledged the issues and promise a fix "soon," that timeframe remains frustratingly vague.

Adding fuel to the fire is the introduction of a battle pass just two months after launch. This move has been met with a roundhouse kick of negativity from the Tekken faithful. It feels like a cheap sidestep away from the content players expect from a full-priced title.

Is Tekken 8 headed for a knockout? It's too early to throw in the towel. But Bandai Namco needs to pull off a perfect parry to regain the trust of the Tekken community. Addressing the bugs swiftly and re-evaluating their monetization strategy are critical throws if they want Tekken 8 to maintain its fighting spirit.

However, all may not be doom and gloom for Tekken 8.

 Bandai Namco has a history of introducing exciting collaborations in past Tekken titles, like bringing in Noctis from Final Fantasy, Negan from The Walking Dead, and the legendary fighters Akuma and Geese from the 2D fighting game world.

There's also a positive light to be shed on the frequent patches being rolled out. If the developers are receptive to community feedback (or have the autonomy to listen closely), then these regular updates could be the key to restoring order within a short timeframe. Tekken 8 can still turn the tide, but Bandai Namco needs to listen to the pleas of its players and deliver a knockout punch of improvements.