Tuesday, February 7th, 2023
	Arika to Assist Bandai Namco for TEKKEN 8 Netcode and TEKKEN 7 Online Improvements

  

During the TEKKEN 8 presentation over the weekend, Producer Michael Murray mentioned Fighting EX Layer developer Arika, along with Arika president Akira Nishitani (original designer of Street Fighter II and Final Fight), will be assisting Bandai Namco in working on TEKKEN 8's netcode as well as upcoming TEKKEN 7 updates moving forward. During the presentation, Producer Katsuhiro Harada also confirmed TEKKEN 7's development is still ongoing (which is pretty amazing, considering the earliest arcade version of the game is nearly 8 years old now, with the console version selling over 10 million copies).   Arika updated their 2D fighting game Fighting EX Layer (2018) with a rollback netcode enhancement a couple years after the game's PC launch, with positive results overall. It's not known to what extent they'll be helping out with TEKKEN 7's and TEKKEN 8's online structure moving forward, but the recent press release by Arika provides all the known details so far. Basically, Bandai Namco will continue to focus on character and game balance in TEKKEN, with Arika now working on "software improvements, bug fixes, and usability improvements for online matches".   While TEKKEN 7 already uses rollback netcode... and 1000's of concurrent online players would tell you that online matches, at high level, are (overall) very playable and stable (especially on PC) following the most recent online improvement updates released by Bandai Namco... that's not to say there isn't still plenty of room for improvements to the current rollback implementation. It's a testament to how many players still enjoy playing TEKKEN 7 online that its online community is still this populated even after nearly 6 years since its console release (June 2nd, 2017).   TEKKEN 7 being a dynamic 3D fighting game makes it more difficult to implement "perfect" rollback netcode when compared to a linear 2D game, but Arika will now be looking into improving the online experience for TEKKEN players in the future.     Arika previously worked on the expansive and feature-filled online modes for multiplayer titles like Tetris 99, Super Mario Bros. 35 and Pac-Man 99 (which they also worked with Bandai Namco on) in recent years. These online modes are notable for being innovative and creative, so this is probably a very good sign for TEKKEN 8's online experience being more than simply "fighting other random opponents". This is one area where TEKKEN's online experience could definitely be improved.   During the most recent Fighting Games Roundtable stream (#3), Akira Nishitani described their rollback update to Fighting EX Layer: Another Dash for Nintendo Switch as "the next generation of netcode". Bandai Namco was also present at the 3rd Fighting Games Roundtable meet-up, which could be part of the reason they got Arika's assistance for TEKKEN's future online development.     Let's not get too ahead of ourselves... but could Arika working with Bandai Namco on TEKKEN 8 and TEKKEN 7 potentially create the "possibility" of an Arika guest character showing up in a TEKKEN game in some form? At this point... it's all in the realm of possibility, especially considering Arika's Fighting EX Layer received its own SNK guest character, Terry Bogard, while Geese Howard and his awesome stage appears in TEKKEN 7.     It's certainly an interesting connection that both companies share, each having an SNK guest character playable in their fighting games. At the very least, "guest characters" are a thing that both companies are very familiar with... so who knows what could happen in the future! Stay tuned for more TEKKEN 8 news. ~TFG Webmaster, Frank Joseph | @Fighters_Gen
Source: Arika (Press Release)             Related Tweet: @Fighters_Gen Related News  |   February 2023 TEKKEN 8 Kazuya Gameplay Trailer Overnight, Bandai Namco dropped a brand new TEKKEN 8 gameplay trailer featuring none other than Kazuya Mishima. Done in the same style as Nina Williams' reveal trailer from TWT earlier this month, Kazuya's official gameplay trailer shows a whole lot more... Related News  |   February 2023 TEKKEN 8 Nina Reveal Trailer, Gameplay Mechanics Introduction Bandai Namco has rolled out the free TEKKEN 7 update today on PC and consoles, adding not only new fan artwork panels to the game but many other surprise features. Streaming Mode is a new TEKKEN 7 network feature... Related News  |   February 2023 TEKKEN World Tour Finals '22 & Frosty Faustings 2023 Two major fighting game tournaments are set to take place this weekend, the TEKKEN World Tour 2022 Finals in Amsterdam, and Frosty Faustings in Lombard, Illinois. The TWT Finals '22 marks the end of the TEKKEN 7 competitive season and has 24 players... Related News  |   December 2022 TEKKEN 7 Free Update 5.10 Adds New Features, Artwork Bandai Namco has rolled out the free TEKKEN 7 update today on PC and consoles, adding not only new fan artwork panels to the game but many other surprise features. Streaming Mode is a new TEKKEN 7 network feature that can now be toggled ON or OFF. Related News  |   December 2022 TEKKEN 7 Sells 10 Million Copies TEKKEN series chief producer Katsuhiro Harada announced today that TEKKEN 7 has surpassed 10 million sales worldwide, continuing the title's reign as the best-selling installment of all time. Since the game's arcade arrival in 2015 and console...   Related TFG Links:   TEKKEN 8,  TEKKEN 7,  Fighting EX Layer  | TFG NEWS
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