Tekken fans are unhappy with the latest changes in Tekken 8’s Season 2, which have completely altered the game’s identity by introducing new features that many feel were unnecessary.
During yesterday’s Tekken 8 Season 2 live stream, the patch announcements sent shockwaves through the community, dividing players and drawing heavy criticism toward the development team for neglecting the game’s core issues—primarily balance.
Instead of addressing these concerns, the developers buffed nearly every character, including those that didn’t need it, such as Dragunov and Jin.
Bandai Namco has not addressed this baffling design philosophy, sparking a backlash that led to a review bombing on Steam. Over 1,800 players have now rated the game as ‘Mostly Negative.’ Fans argue that the latest patch has turned the game into an aggressive 50/50 brawl, while some speculate that it might even be a late April Fools’ joke from Tekken 8’s director, Katsuhiro Harada.
Pro players and Tekken 8 content creators have also weighed in, voicing their confusion and frustration on social media platforms like X (formerly Twitter). Many expected the long-promised patch to focus on defensive options, but instead, they received a mishmash of reworks that feel out of place in Tekken 8’s gameplay style.
This isn’t the first time players have raised concerns. Since the game’s launch, many have noticed a pattern in its design philosophy, particularly the overwhelming strength of the Heat System. By heavily rewarding aggression, the game inherently favors rush-down characters—such as Dragunov—who were already dominant in the meta.
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Bandai Namco has yet to address these growing concerns. However, the sheer volume of negative feedback across the game’s subreddit, social media channels, and Steam page suggests that this may be Tekken 8’s most controversial season yet. If the developers fail to course-correct, it could spell serious trouble for the franchise's future.