Tekken boss Katsuhiro Harada has responded to the many, many rumours about Final Fantasy 7’s Tifa joining the franchise.
Over the weekend, Harada took to social media to share images of the Tekken 8 stand at Tapei Game Show 2024, which was also playing host to Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth.
“Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth and Tekken 8 are in the same Bandai Namco booth, which is confusing for a moment. This is the interesting part of publishing and distributing in the game industry,” he wrote but rather than picking apart the intricate details of promoting video games in 2024, most fans simply asked for a crossover.
FF7 rebirth and TEKKEN8 are in the same Bandai Namco booth, which is confusing for a moment. This is the interesting part of publishing and distributing in the game industry.
FF7リバースと鉄拳8が同じバンナムブースに ^^) 実に面白い。#TaipeiGameShow2024 pic.twitter.com/12mW11IcKL
— Katsuhiro Harada (@Harada_TEKKEN) January 25, 2024
“All I’m gonna say is what everyone else here is saying but Tifa Lockhart would be absolutely incredible if she made it into Tekken 8,” wrote one fan while another asked “Other than her looks, what is so great about her that makes her so desired to be a Tekken character? You guys haven’t shut up about her being in Tekken for years.”
Wading into the conversation, Harada wrote: “We all know she is attractive and I understand that but we have not decided anything about guest characters yet.”
We all know she is attractive and I understand that.
But as yet we have not decided anything about guest characters etc. https://t.co/dkuMm1pnGG— Katsuhiro Harada (@Harada_TEKKEN) January 26, 2024
“Tifa really doesn’t need to be in the game . People just want to see her in the game because she’s attractive. Almost nothing else,” replied one fan with Harada adding: “I respect both sides’ opinions on both sides.”
Tekken 8 was released January 26 for PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. In a four-star review, NME wrote: “Tekken 8 has lots to offer both new and veteran players. The cinematic, over-the-top storyline is gorgeous and ends in a thematically brilliant fight; Arcade Quest is the perfect place to master all the fighters, and online play has never before been more accessible to all.”
In other news, Stardew Valley creator Eric “ConcernedApe” Barone has revealed the next major update is coming to the game this year.