Tekken 8’s post-launch content is rolling on with its first new character, Eddy Gordo, who will become available to those with the Playable Character Year 1 Pass on April 1 and as a standalone purchase for all on April 5. Furthermore, a laundry list of patch notes for the April 1 update were revealed that include balance changes and the Tekken Fight Pass.
Alongside the reveal of Eddy’s release dates is a trailer that shows off his unique move set. Mostly, players who pick up the DLC character will find themselves doing handstands to fight off opponents with furious kicks. The video is a great demonstration of how the Tekken team has brought his capoeira technique to Tekken 8, and you can see it for yourself in the video below.
Eddy is our spring competitor, but he’s far from the only new fighter the Tekken team has planned. Season 1 of Bandai Namco’s DLC plans include at least three more mystery characters that are set to be released across summer, autumn, and winter. Some previous Tekken games have added more than only four post-launch characters to their rosters, but it’s currently unclear how many more Tekken 8 fighters players can look forward to.
As we mentioned, Eddy Gordo will be available for purchase for all come April 5. Those who have the Playable Character Year 1 Pass will be able to try him out starting April 1 at 4 p.m. PDT / 7 p.m. EDT. Patch 1.03.01 will roll out the welcome wagon alongside Eddy come April 1, too, with server maintenance scheduled to take place that same day from 2:30 p.m. to 11 p.m. PDT. The update, of course, allows players to use Eddy, but it comes with a few other notable changes, too.
Along with additional items coming to the Tekken Shop, Bandai Namco is also adding the Tekken Fight Pass. It offers players a new way to increase their level and earn rewards by completing daily and weekly tasks. It also has a “Premium tier” with “more luxurious” items.
We gave Tekken 8 a 9/10 in our review. At the time of its release on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X | S, we said, “Tekken 8 is an incredible evolution for the series, with tons of single player content, an excellent suite of training tools, a great online experience, and exciting new mechanics that make Tekken more dynamic than ever.”
You can read the full patch notes below.
Tekken 8 – Patch Notes 1.03.01:
New playable character ‘EDDY GORDO’
- 72-hour early access made available to owners of the Playable Character Year 1 Pass.
- Playable Character Year 1 Pass is included in the following:
- TEKKEN 8 Deluxe Edition Upgrade Pack
- TEKKEN 8 Ultimate Edition
- TEKKEN 8 Deluxe Edition
New feature TEKKEN FIGHT PASS added to the TEKKEN SHOP
- During the specified period, players can increase their level by completing daily and weekly missions in online matches, allowing them to obtain various items.
- In the PREMIUM tier, where items are even more luxurious, players can also acquire TEKKEN COINS, which can be exchanged for various items in the TEKKEN SHOP.
New items added to the TEKKEN SHOP
- New costume sets “Cyber Pack 01” and “Cyber Pack 02″ available for all playable characters.
- A legacy costume for Yoshimitsu
- EDDY GORDO Avatar Skin
Functional improvements, Bug fixes.
- A feature has been added to RANKED MATCH, QUICK MATCH, and GROUP MATCH modes to allow for the termination and invalidation of matches if the network connection quality falls below certain specified conditions.
- An indication has been added to the versus screen in PLAYER MATCH mode to display when the stage has been randomly selected.
- A QUIT option has been added to the MAIN MENU to allow the game to be exited from sources other than the options menu (Steam version only).
Behavior/properties of moves will be adjusted for some characters.
- In version 1.03, continuing from the previous version 1.02, focus was placed on correcting unintended move behavior.
- Work on an update focused on battle system balance is underway, but we are undertaking this with utmost caution by carefully evaluating user play data collected from around the world. Version 1.04 is scheduled for release in May following the conclusion of EVO Japan 2024.
- Version 1.04 will primarily focus on buffing characters who haven’t been able to fully showcase their uniqueness. However, adjustments to certain moves that exhibit significant strength will also be made.
Scope of Update
The application of the update data will result in the following impact on each mode and feature.
- “DOWNLOADED REPLAYS”,“MY REPLAY & TIPS”: Replay data from before the update will be unavailable for playback.
- “ONLINE REPLAY”: Replay data from before the update will be deleted.
- “SUPER GHOST BATTLE”,“GHOST MATCH”: Character behavior and move properties will reflect that of the post-update state.
Michael Cripe is a freelance contributor with IGN. He started writing in the industry in 2017 and is best known for his work at outlets such as The Pitch, The Escapist, OnlySP, and Gameranx.
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