In a recent interview with TEKKEN 8 Project Producer Michael Murray we gained unprecedented access to the inner workings of one of gaming’s most iconic fighting franchises. Murray, known for his candid approach and deep passion for the series, offered a treasure trove of insights into the game’s development, character choices, and the future trajectory of TEKKEN.

Heihachi’s Return and Character Design

The return of fan-favorite Heihachi Mishima took center stage in our discussion. Murray revealed the delicate balancing act involved in bringing back a character who seemed definitively out of the picture. “We needed this extra story content to kind of explain why Heihachi is making a comeback, because he looked quite dead at the end of Tekken 7, right?” Murray said.

Murray elaborated on the design changes: “Rather than doing some of the pokes and things that he was doing in previous installments like Tekken 7, they wanted to make him more powerful and more dynamic in his animations. So you might have noticed that some of the moves and some of the connections have changed.”

He also discussed the balance considerations: “Although he does feel pretty strong, and if you’re a good player, you can work around those weaknesses with limited lows. Or if your opponent is sidestepping a lot, you might know the correct timing to counter that. So he’s made to be more approachable. But at the same time, if you really want to be strong and overbearing with him, it does take a lot more skill than some of the other characters.”

Player Feedback and Game Design Philosophy

Player feedback has been a crucial driver in shaping TEKKEN 8’s direction. Murray noted the diverse reactions from the player base, highlighting the game’s appeal to newcomers while acknowledging the nostalgia of long-time fans. “We’ve seen the newer players tend to really enjoy the aggressive gameplay that’s the core concept of Tekken 8,” he explained, shedding light on the team’s design philosophy.

Murray delved deeper into the evolution of player opinions: “Overall, it seems when the people had more time with the game after launch, they tend to see the roster settle down as far as some people would say, oh, Dragunov is too strong or some other particular character is too strong. But as we’ve seen the Tekken World Tour go on for the past eight months, we’ve seen a lot of different characters in the top eight in different regions.”

He also highlighted the team’s approach to character design in TEKKEN 8: “We clearly defined the play concepts of each character and revamped them to have their own strong suits that are unique to them, and I think that people are really starting to see this more recently and the opinion has changed to be more favorable across the board.”

Collaboration and Brand Partnerships

The interview also delved into TEKKEN’s foray into high-profile brand collaborations, with Murray enthusiastically discussing partnerships with Nike and Gentle Monster.

Speaking about the Nike partnership, Murray shared, “We approached Nike and we felt it was a really good time because we were coming up on the 30th anniversary of Tekken.” He added, “We felt that maybe we had a good timing and position to approach Nike and make something happen because you know they’re quite sought after and they don’t necessarily collaborate with anyone.”

The collaboration process was surprisingly smooth, as Murray recounted: “They were surprisingly enthusiastic from the start and then once we actually started doing the designs, I sat down with them initially and kind of explained what the Tekken lore was about, what our visual cues are, what our audience is like.”

Regarding the Gentle Monster collaboration, Murray explained, “Our licensing group was approached by them and they were interested in doing something with Tekken. We had some staff on our team who were already quite big fans of Gentle Monster, so they knew exactly what the brand was about and they felt it would be a good match.”

Story Content and DLC Strategy

Murray addressed the inclusion of story content in the DLC, citing the 30th anniversary of the franchise and growing player interest in character narratives as key factors. “We realized a lot more people asking for story content post launch,” he said. Murray noted that this approach allows players to try new characters before purchasing them, stating, “You can play the new characters for free, even if you haven’t purchased a DLC, in the story mode.”

He expanded on the reasoning behind this strategy: “We really wanted to explore other character lines for the additional characters, Lidia, Eddy, etc. without just kind of throwing them in the game. And it was a good balance, I think. We can’t just give away characters because we have so many people working on development for these things and they cost money. But it is a good balance to let people at least try them before they purchase it.”

Guest Characters and Future Additions: Balancing Fan Favorites with New Blood

When asked about potential guest characters, Murray acknowledged their impact but stressed the need to balance fan-favorite TEKKEN characters with new additions. “There’s still so many characters that are missing, that the fans want,” Murray explained. He didn’t rule out future guest characters but indicated that the current focus is on the TEKKEN legacy roster and new original characters.

Murray elaborated on the challenges of character selection: “Even at 32, and I guess you could say, 35, if you include the three additions we know about, there’s still so many characters that are missing, that the fans want. You know, bring back Lei Wulong, or bring back Fahkumram, you know, there’s so many requests that we get every day.”

Exploring New Martial Arts Styles: The Potential of Pencak Silat

Lastly, Murray expressed personal interest in potentially incorporating Pencak Silat, an Indonesian martial art, into a future TEKKEN character. “If we can find a good character to implement that with, maybe it will be a candidate,” he said, showing the team’s ongoing consideration of diverse fighting styles.

Murray shared his fascination with the martial art: “I was looking into AIMAG, which was an indoor martial arts and gaming tournament that was supposed to happen in Thailand. It got canceled, unfortunately. But I noticed, in addition to my favorite, Muay Thai, they had Pencak Silat in there. And I’d heard the name before, and I’ve seen some of the action sequences in movies, but I’d never really studied it in earnest.”

Development Challenges and Future of TEKKEN

Murray also touched on the challenges faced during the development of the latest expansion, particularly regarding Heihachi’s portrayal. “You wouldn’t believe how long we spent on what that fist mark should look like,” Murray revealed, referring to a detail on Heihachi’s character model. “It can’t just look cool, right? It’s got to have a reason.”

As TEKKEN 8 continues to evolve, Murray’s insights provide a comprehensive glimpse into the thoughtful development process behind one of gaming’s most enduring fighting franchises. From character design and storytelling to community engagement and future planning, the TEKKEN team appears committed to balancing innovation with the series’ rich legacy, all while keeping an ear to the ground for player feedback and industry trends.

Looking to the future, Murray emphasized TEKKEN’s unique position as one of the few remaining 3D fighting games. “Tekken is probably the only one that’s currently updating the franchise every few years or so,” he noted. Murray discussed ongoing efforts to make the game more accessible to new players through features like My Replay and Tips, as well as the Special Style control option.

He elaborated on the evolution of these features: “We polished it even more for Tekken 8. And then even more, we added options where you can actually stop a replay and replay that scenario from that point and say, okay, you know, I messed up because I just blocked. But what if I sidestep or what if I counter with a certain move?”