This past weekend, EVO 2024 took place, and all kinds of fighting-genre video games revealed new developments. Bandai Namco used the occasion to unveil a new character that will be available as DLC in Tekken 8.
Heihachi Mishima, a legendary and iconic character in this franchise, joins the roster of fighters. This event featured many new announcements across various games that took advantage of the platform to showcase what’s coming. This particular warrior will be available on this title later this year, specifically in the fall.
Tekken 8 Introduces a New Character
Finally, Bandai Namco has unveiled the third DLC character to join the Tekken 8 roster later this year. Fans responded positively to this game’s release earlier this year.
This particular franchise has been around for 30 years and is one of the longest-running in the fighting game genre. One of the most iconic villains in the saga, this fighter has significantly complicated the protagonists’ lives in the past.
Heihachi Mishima will be the chosen warrior to join the title as DLC. Mishima has been a prominent antagonist in the game since its early titles.
Not all fights end in cliffhangers.
— TEKKEN (@TEKKEN) July 21, 2024
The story of #TEKKEN8 is far from over 👊 pic.twitter.com/nQM48icoHc
Additionally, he is considered key in the fifth and sixth mainline installments of the franchise. Mishima is also the grandfather of Jin Kazama, one of the most well-known characters in the game series.
Bandai Namco Brings Back Heihachi Mishima
Tekken is considered one of the longest-running IPs in the fighting game genre, featuring several of the most well-known characters and a very distinctive style using complete 3D arenas.
Bandai Namco continues to heavily invest in this game and will keep adding various characters, like Heihachi Mishima, in the coming months. This title is the first in the franchise after nearly nine years without a game.
The cinematic studio presentation did not showcase any gameplay footage of this character in action. This year, the game will release one more unrevealed character as downloadable content, probably arriving by the end of the year, according to the roadmap shown.
Fans joked about how Mishima refuses to die once and for all and keeps returning to the franchise over and over again. However, most seem pleased with the return of this character.
Bandai Namco is more than pleased with Tekken 8, as the game has already sold more than 2 million copies since its release, an incredible figure for this particular franchise.
This will likely prompt the studio to consider releasing another game later on, given the positive reception from fans. The immense popularity of these titles continues to propel the fighting genre’s growth.
What are your thoughts on this new character addition? Let us know in the comments!
