Tekken is one of Bandai Namco Entertainment’s more prominent IP’s, as far as properties that are completely owned by the company go. However, the field of fighting games is quite populated, with Capcom’s Street Fighter, the Smash Bros. series, and the Western-based fighting games like Killer Instinct and Mortal Kombat. And this isn’t even including SEGA’s Virtua Fighter or Arc System Works’ Guilty Gear or Blazblue. So, Bandai Namco Entertainment is planning a couple of promotional initiatives for the upcoming Tekken 7.
EVO2015, this year’s entry of the world’s premier fighting game tournament, will feature Tekken 7 as a competitive event. The Tekken franchise shows up as a major EVO event with some regularity, though entrant numbers for last year’s Tekken Tag Tournament 2 weren’t that high. Tekken 7 isn’t out yet, but this is an opportunity for entrants to test out the game and is in large part being positioned as a low-pressure event with much in terms of reward. Bandai Namco also recently announced the contribution a $30,000 pot bonus to the game for EVO2015, too.
Besides that, an official English Tekken Facebook page announced a wave of location tests are planned for North America this month. Location tests have been offered outside of Japan before (Ultra Street Fighter IV is an example) but it’s nice to see Bandai Namco investing in scenes outside of Japan. Transportation costs and translation of feedback do make the conducting of location tests outside of Japan slightly more inconvenient than they otherwise would be if everything were conducted in Japan. Select Dave & Buster’s and Round One locations are participating in the location test; check the link at this paragraph’s start to view the six locations. More specific details on dates and playtime rules will be announced. It’s also possible (though not guaranteed) that more opportunities to play the game will present themselves at other conventions like New York Comic Con so keep an eye out.
Bandai Namco has also announced “The King of Iron Fist Tournament 2015”, an officially sponsored competitive Tekken 7 event. Total prizes valued at $80,000 are at offer for competitors. The video states that the best fighter from around the world will be crowned, but it’s unclear how participants will be deemed eligible to participate, especially with the (still) rather limited opportunities to participate in Tekken 7-related events in the latter half of 2015. There’s also no word on tournament format, but of course these details are to be announced.
Incidentally, the winner of the EVO2015 Tekken 7 event will automatically be eligible to participate in this tournament. It’s possible that Bandai Namco hopes to expand competitive Tekken into an organized league similar to Capcom’s Capcom Pro Tour running this year for Ultra Street Fighter IV. It’s an ambitious move but I do wish for Bandai Namco’s success since they seem to be making pretty strong overtures.
Check out the trailer announcing The King of Iron Fist Tournament 2015 below!
