Tekken 7 has been brewed and updated several times since its first announcement in 2014. Its arcade release affected way less people than the home edition will, so technically we can say that the “official mass debut” of the game will be the one on PC and consoles.
New post-launch characters are already scheduled (confirmed by offering a season pass) and this means that alongside new fighters there could be an update that addresses potential balance issues. This could alter the formula of how Tekken was supported in the past. The game was distributed as finished at launch, receiving just minor updates but staying almost the same during its lifespan.
Street Fighter V showed another way to handle this, as it’s supported with different seasons (one for every year) made by six different characters and major changes to the balance of the roster. Season 2 started bringing an unexpected discussion as several pro-players complained about some fighters being nerfed too much (someone could say it’s because they had to change their main at prize-events; having to master another character), however the tier list indeed was modified radically and many people shifted their favorites. Street Fighter’s players could debate if this was good or would it have been better just to buff the low tiers instead than nerfing the strong ones at the same time. Nevertheless, this had a huge impact on tournament outcomes and online matches as well.
What would be the best update model for Tekken? There are two options.
The first is the actual model:
- A game that receives very little change and patches
- Receives updates when it is to fix major things
- Stays virtually the same without overthrowing the tier list off
- Remains solid ground for people to practice and learn everything of the gameplay
This could be a way the title is intended, taking it as a finished product and leaving the sequel the task to renew.
The second could be to “play,” or experiment, with the game:
- Altering it every year or every six months
- Alter balance to give a chance to low tier characters
- Keep things unpredictable for the community
In the past there were many interesting fighters that somehow felt left behind because online lobbies were ruled by the same strong characters. Someone could be teased to see them becoming the new popular picks.
This debate could be very interesting for the future of Tekken.
So tell us, what do you prefer? Do you like the usual support or do you want to see the fluid seasons? Discuss, and remember that our forums and comments section are a home for your opinions.
