Modern Gamers Can’t Take a Loss? Tekken Producer Wants More Team Elements in Fighting Games
Katsuhiro Harada wants to see more team elements in fighting games. The reason: the alleged inability of modern gamers to accept defeat and blame others for their failures.
Katsuhiro Harada has released statements on multiple occasions that have resonated widely among gamers. Also during a conversation on the Game Maker's Notebook podcast (via Youtube / Video Game Chronicles), the Japanese producer shared a rather controversial opinion. According to the father of the Tekken series, modern fighting games need to change into a more team-based experience, because younger players need... someone to blame for their failures.
"Victory is mine, defeat is theirs"
For over an hour, Harada discussed Tekken with Shuhei Yoshida (former CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment, currently boss of PlayStation Indies). At one point, the series creator was asked about the future of the genre in its traditional form, specifically "one-on-one" duels.
That's when Harada stated that fighting games need to introduce more "team" elements. As he stated, this results from the difference between generations. His generation was meant to be more oriented towards "competition," where there is an obvious winner and loser.
Meanwhile, as Harada claims, the present generation is entirely the opposite. Today's players are not interested in one-on-one clashes, because if they lose, they only have themselves to blame for the defeat. A player can always take credit for a team victory, but will shift the blame for any defeat onto their allies who "let them down."
Team aspect to the rescue
That's the reason why Harada has been thinking for a long time about including a team aspect in Tekken, such as in the form of 3 vs 3 fights, similar to what the ArcSys studio does in their games (Guilty Gear: Strive will get this mode this year; via X). The Japanese is even considering whether to include such a gameplay variation as part of the official ranking in Tekken 8.
Ignoring the controversial issue of the "generation gap" (most internet users commenting on Harada's statement don't accept this argument), it has been evident for a long time that developers are striving to incorporate multiplayer elements into their games in various forms. This also extends to fighting games, often causing players to either laugh or become irritated (anyone who has had the pleasure of playing a team-based brawl - such as Dragon Ball FighterZ - and been summoned into the battlefield directly into an opponent's attack, knows exactly what I mean).
Furthermore, apart from this type, there are people who, regardless of their actual skills, will attribute all the credit to themselves and readily criticize their teammates for their own undeniable mistakes.
Tekken sold 57 million copies
Harada also mentioned that the Tekken series sales have surpassed 55 million copies. Keep in mind that the video was recorded before the premiere of the eight installment. By the way, we are aware that this installment of the series sold 2 million copies within the first three weeks. So, at least 57 million copies of Tekken have already reached the players.
Surprisingly, over 50% of them were sold in Europe, while 30% were sold in America. It might be surprising, but as Harada pointed out, in Japan, players used to favor playing on arcade machines over purchasing games for PC and consoles ("8" didn't make it to the arcade machines; via VG247).
It's also worth reminding that Eddy Gordo will join Tekken 8 tomorrow. The character, a veteran of the series since Tekken 3, is the first addition to the game through paid DLC and the seasonal pass (likely not the final one). The update 1.03.01 will be released simultaneously.
