Tekken 8 Fans Outraged at Season 2 Changes, Pros Threaten Boycott, Steam Reviews Plummet

The Tekken 8 community has been thrown into uproar following the Season 2 update, which introduced a series of controversial changes to the game. The patch notes detailed an increase in character damage potential and offensive pressure across the board, leading many fans to argue that the update has deviated significantly from the traditional Tekken experience.

Professional Tekken player JoKa expressed his frustration, stating that the Season 2 update has transformed the game to the point where "this does not feel like Tekken AT ALL." He elaborated on his concerns, saying, "Characters getting buffed even in the slightest is not the way, along with more stance-based transitions where 50/50 situations are enhanced. Some of the new moves added are insane with little to no counterplay. Characters getting their weaknesses patched and identities being removed by homogenisation is lazy balancing. Oki being gutted and heat just getting buffed makes no sense. Combo damage is too much across the whole roster. I definitely think the sidesteps are better but does that really matter when moves exist with crazy tracking/hitboxes? Chip damage is still excessive with most heat smashes remaining the same. Removing strategy in favor of more 50/50 situations isn't interesting gameplay and is moving away from the foundation of Tekken. Where are the defensive options that were mentioned?"

The backlash has been palpable, with the Tekken 8 Steam page becoming a platform for players to voice their discontent. The game has received over 1,100 negative reviews in the past two days, resulting in a 'mostly negative' user review rating for recent reviews. One of the top reviews describes the game as "a genuinely good game held back by schizophrenic insane developers sent from hell." Another criticizes the update for turning "every character into a braindead easy mix-up machine without a single buff to defense." A third review laments, "After promising changes to open up defensive options, the balance team has doubled down on extremely powerful offense that takes away all agency from the defending player." The sentiment among many is that "not every character needs to be able to force 50/50 canned mixups constantly," and that the balance team seems to lack innovative ideas for character development, leading to a game that's become "entirely defined by character offense and situations with little to no response from the defender."

The dissatisfaction has driven some fans to abandon Tekken 8 in favor of Capcom's Street Fighter 6. Others are labeling Season 2 as "the worst patch in Tekken history," with several pro players contemplating leaving the game altogether. One such player, Jesandy, tweeted, "I don't know if I'll continue playing Tekken if this patch stays. I'm sorry for doomposting, but I thought it had a chance to be a better game. I'm just really sad. Like depressed. I streamed 70 hours of Tekken this past week to prep for s2 just to have those hopes shattered. Gn."

In light of the overwhelming negative feedback, the community is now eagerly awaiting a response from the development team. Many are calling for the patch to be rolled back entirely, while others are advocating for an emergency follow-up patch to address the key issues raised by players.