The Legacy of Tekken
Nathan Brolly
Gameplay from Tekken 1
Tekken the iconic Japanese fighting game has a long-standing legacy in the gaming world. Its journey began with the release of the original title in 1994 in arcades and later in 1995 on the PlayStation console. Tekken 1 rose near the top of the 3D fighting game genre, second only to Virtua Fighter which was seen as the greatest 3D fighting game at the time. While Tekken 1 did not break any significant boundaries, it did well enough to cement itself as an up-and-coming franchise as it wasn’t long until a sequel was made.
In 1995 and 1996 Tekken 2 was released on the arcade and the PlayStation respectively. This came at the perfect time as other titans in the fighting game genre such as Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat were losing their hold on audiences. Capitalising on this, the production of Tekken 3 was expedited and was ultimately released to the international audience in 1997. Despite the speed up in production, Tekken 3 became a household name due to a multitude of factors including its stunning graphics and smooth gameplay.
Eventually, Tekken 3 became the fifth best-selling video game on the PlayStation toppling over its predecessors and all other fighting games on the console including the previous king Virtua Fighter.
With the resounding success of the Tekken 3, the franchise had now solidified itself as a pillar in the fighting game genre. Despite the declining popularity of 3D fighting games, Tekken persevered with a steady stream of releases across various media formats. From mainline sequels to spin-off titles, animated and live-action films, comics, and even a Netflix adaptation, Tekken maintained its stronghold and held on with an iron fist.
However, despite the initial dominance Tekken yielded its top spot to contenders like Mortal Kombat and Super Smash Bros. Regardless of this, Tekken never disappeared into obscurity but instead withheld its place as one of the highest-selling video game fighting franchises of all time. Following their fall from the top, Tekken would go on to climb back up the cliff with the release of Tekken 7 which became the best-selling game in the franchise with over 10 million sales. This rejuvenated the franchise and paved the way for the latest instalment, Tekken 8 which debuted in January 2024.
In just three weeks of its release, Tekken 8 achieved the feat of selling over two million copies. This milestone set a new record for the fastest-selling game in the franchises history. Additionally, Tekken 8 is showing signs of outpacing other recently released fighting games like Mortal Kombat 1 and Street Fighter 6, indicating its resurgence to supremacy.
As of March 2024, the Tekken franchise sits at 55 million units sold. This remarkable achievement showcases the enduring popularity and widespread appeal of the iconic fighting game series.