Tekken 8 Chief Harada Hits Out at ‘Silly’ Threats of Violence Over Eddy Gordo

Tekken 8 development chief Katsuhiro Harada has hit out at a threat of violence over whether or not a character will be in the game.

Harada tweeted a response to the threat from a Twitter user demanding Tekken character Eddy Gordo is playable in the upcoming Tekken 8.

“When people make these silly threats, I and everyone at FGC [fighting game community] suffer the following losses,” Harada began before making three key points (below).

One, event operators overreact and increase security, which increases costs and the burden on players. Harada said in some cases his attendance at events may end up being cancelled.

Two, company bosses respond to these sorts of threats by asking Harada to cancel “inclusion in the game”, which relates to the inclusion of certain characters in Tekken, such as Eddy.

And three, if the person making the threat uses the word “we” instead of “I”, the probability of the first two points becoming a reality increases.

“By enthusiasts behaving excessively, repeating these words and actions, or fake information and hoaxes, or threats, the motivation of the development staff will decrease rapidly, and as a result, the requests of enthusiasts will be far from being realised,” Harada said.

When people make these silly threats, I and everyone at FGC suffer the following losses (See attached image).
—
(1) The event operator overreacts and increases security, which increases operating costs and increases the burden on the players attending the event. In the worst… pic.twitter.com/21dfMItVKe

— Katsuhiro Harada (@Harada_TEKKEN) August 10, 2023

Harada has been an outspoken critic of toxicity from the Tekken fanbase, often pulling no punches when it comes to responding to tweets from “fans”.

“Thank you for [the] pointless reply,” Harada replied to one Twitter user who criticised his tweet. “I’ve never seen anyone as unreadable as you. You ‘seriously’ need to study up. Farewell.”

Thank you for POINTLESS reply.
I’ve never seen anyone as unreadable as you.
You “seriously” need to study up.
Farewell.

— Katsuhiro Harada (@Harada_TEKKEN) August 10, 2023

It sounds like Harada has had enough of these sorts of threats, which are on the rise as Tekken 8’s roster of playable characters comes into focus. Harada’s tweet went viral, with 2.3 million views and trending status on Twitter. “Seriously?” Harada tweeted in response.

lol seriously? https://t.co/o9oRUGvXNx

— Katsuhiro Harada (@Harada_TEKKEN) August 10, 2023

Harada’s tweet is a stark reminder of the shocking abuse video game developers often face from so-called fans. It’s an age-old problem, but it shows no sign of improvement. In July, Destiny developer Bungie said it refuses to return to the game’s subreddit due to abuse.

Earlier this week, Harada confirmed Tekken 8 does not include anti-piracy software Denuvo. Harada made the statement after a now-deleted tweet pointed out Tekken 8’s End User License Agreement [EULA] on Steam mentions Denuvo is being used under the third-party software category.

“[T]his EULA is probably simply a copy/paste of Tekken 7 or something…” Harada said. “Anyway, I’ve no plans to introduce Denuvo or anything else in Tekken 8, so stop your tedious allergic reactions to every single thing and sit quietly (sit the hell down).”

this EULA is probably simply a copy/paste of TEKKEN7 or something (I’m not a registered this but sure).
Anyway, I’ve no plans to introduce Denuvo or anything else in TEKKEN8, so stop your tedious allergic reactions to every single thing & sit quietly (sit the hell down). https://t.co/oT1Wj9VTpd

— Katsuhiro Harada (@Harada_TEKKEN) August 7, 2023

Tekken 8 is set to launch on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and S, and PC. Check out IGN’s Tekken 8 hands-on preview for more.

Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at [email protected] or confidentially at [email protected].