Tekken 8 Director Harada Confronts Impact of Threats on Development

The director of Tekken 8, Katsuhiro Harada, recently opened up about the negative effects that threats from supposed fans have on the game’s development team. In a lengthy Twitter thread, Harada shared an example of a “silly” threat he received. The player threatened to “hit Harada with a Burning Hammer” if the character Eddy wasn’t included in Tekken 8’s lineup.

Harada emphasized that even these seemingly harmless jokes can have serious consequences, affecting not only the team’s morale but also the overall costs and character decisions. These threats often lead to increased security at events, resulting in higher operational expenses and added burdens on attending players. In extreme cases, event organizers may even request Harada’s absence to mitigate potential risks.

In addition, Harada highlighted that company founders, board members, and lawyers are also sensitive to threats, regardless of their intent. If they receive such threats, they might ask Harada to remove certain characters or features from the game, even if he originally intended to include them. Furthermore, Harada noted that threats are more likely to influence decisions if the person making them claims to represent the collective fanbase rather than individual opinions.

Harada clarified, “I do not adopt the views of those who use ‘we’ when expressing their opinions. It is up to the development team to determine whether an opinion represents the majority or minority. Simply stating ‘Everyone around me says so!’ (even if it’s just 5-6 people) holds no relevance.”

Harada concluded by cautioning enthusiasts about the detrimental impact of excessive behavior, including threats, spreading fake information, or engaging in hoaxes. He explained that these actions rapidly decrease the motivation of the development staff, ultimately hindering the realization of fans’ requests.

Did you know that during the closed network tests of Tekken 8, six unannounced characters were leaked? While the first test was exclusive to PS5 owners, another test opened up to players on Steam, giving dataminers the opportunity to use Cheat Engine. Cheat Engine is a tool that allows users to examine the memory of games, uncover hidden content, and sometimes modify the game to their advantage.

PC players took advantage of Cheat Engine to explore Tekken 8’s memory and uncover unrevealed content. While not all games are susceptible to Cheat Engine, players had success with single-player Steam games, revealing parts of Tekken 8’s roster before their official announcements.

Tekken 8 will be available to play on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC, although a confirmed release date has yet to be announced.