"Tekken 8 Season 2 Changes Spark Outrage, Pros Threaten Boycott, Steam Reviews Plummet"

The Tekken 8 community has erupted in frustration following the Season 2 update, which introduced a series of controversial changes to the game. Patch notes disclosed a general increase in character damage and offensive capabilities, leading some fans to argue that the game has deviated significantly from the traditional Tekken experience.

He elaborated on the changes, criticizing the buffs to characters, the increase in stance-based transitions, and the introduction of new moves with minimal counterplay. JoKa also pointed out the removal of character weaknesses and identities through homogenization, the weakening of defensive options (oki), and an overemphasis on heat and combo damage. He questioned the value of improved sidesteps when overpowered moves with extensive tracking and hitboxes exist, and lamented the excessive chip damage from heat smashes. JoKa argued that the shift towards more 50/50 situations diminishes strategic depth, moving away from Tekken's foundational gameplay. He also raised concerns about the absence of promised defensive options.

T8 now hit the most negative reviews in a day since the day the Tekken Shop launched one year ago
byu/YourGameTVlol inTekken

.reddit-embed-wrapper iframe { margin-left: 0 !important; }Unsurprisingly, the Steam page for Tekken 8 has become a platform for players to vent their frustrations. The game has received over 1,100 negative reviews in the last two days, pushing the recent user review rating to 'mostly negative.'

One particularly poignant review labeled the game as "genuinely good [but] held back by schizophrenic insane developers sent from hell." Another review criticized the update for turning characters into "braindead easy mix up machines" without any defensive enhancements. A third review expressed disappointment in the balance team's focus on powerful offense, which strips the defending player of any agency. Yet another review lamented the game's shift towards constant 50/50 mixups, suggesting a lack of creativity in character development and a departure from the legacy of fighting games.

Frustration has driven some Tekken fans to switch to Capcom’s Street Fighter 6, while others have dubbed Season 2 the “worst patch in Tekken history.” Several professional players have even threatened to abandon Tekken 8 altogether.

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.

— END | Jesandy (@Jesandy1572) April 1, 2025

The community is now eagerly awaiting a response from the development team, with many hoping for a rollback of the patch or an emergency follow-up to address the key issues raised.