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

by Aiden Apr 08,2025

The Tekken 8 community has erupted in frustration following the Season 2 update, which introduced several controversial changes to the game. According to the patch notes, there was a significant buff to character damage potential and offensive pressure, leading many fans to argue that the game has deviated too far from the traditional Tekken experience.

Professional Tekken player JoKa expressed his disappointment, stating that the Season 2 update has made the game unrecognizable. "This does not feel like Tekken AT ALL," he remarked. JoKa criticized the update for buffing characters, enhancing 50/50 situations, and introducing new moves with little to no counterplay. He also pointed out the removal of character weaknesses and identities through homogenization, the gutting of oki, and the excessive combo damage across the roster. Despite acknowledging improvements in sidesteps, he questioned their relevance given the presence of moves with extreme tracking and hitboxes. JoKa lamented the lack of promised defensive options and the shift towards more 50/50 situations, which he believes detracts from the strategic foundation of Tekken.

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; }The backlash has been palpable on Tekken 8's Steam page, where over 1,100 negative reviews have flooded in over the past two days, resulting in a 'mostly negative' user review rating for recent reviews. One of the top reviews described the game as "genuinely good but held back by schizophrenic insane developers sent from hell." Another review criticized the new season for turning every character into a "braindead easy mix-up machine" without any defensive buffs. A third review highlighted the balance team's focus on powerful offense that strips away the defending player's agency. Many players feel that the game is becoming defined by character offense and situations with little to no defensive response.

The dissatisfaction is so intense that some fans are turning to Capcom's Street Fighter 6, while others are labeling Season 2 as the "worst patch in Tekken history." Some professional players are even threatening to abandon Tekken 8 entirely.

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 calling for either a complete rollback of the patch or an emergency follow-up patch to address the key issues raised by players.