Harada Casually Confirms Tekken 8 To Feature Crossplay And Rollback Netcode

Didn’t really expect this coming, but Katsushiro Harada, the Tekken franchise’s long-time producer and current director, has casually let it slip on Twitter that the upcoming Tekken 8 will feature cross-platform play and rollback netcode. Both of these features are highly sought-after, given how they refine the quality of online matchups and make the overall experience feel more inclusive. 

While replying to an eager fan who inquired about crossplay being a possibility in Tekken 8, Harada-san replied with affirmation. He also went on to say how he tried for this functionality to be a part of Tekken 7 as well, but things couldn’t come to a mutual conclusion at that time. Anyhow, it’s a delight for the fighting game community to acknowledge the matter at hand, considering how Street Fighter 6 is following suit with crossplay as well.

Crossplay? Of course I will.
BTW
When the previous generation consoles were released, I had already proposed crossplay between the two platformers. However, at that time, they were at odds with each other over their mutual interests (and P2P security issue) & repeatedly refused. https://t.co/I8b38YfePh

— Katsuhiro Harada (@Harada_TEKKEN) April 9, 2023

The next confirmation also comes in the form of a tweet (never mind the follow-up part though), where Harada has referred to rollback netcode as having “already installed it.” Again, this is nothing but sheer satisfaction from the side of the developers. This functionality is geared toward an intuitive implementation of online play, where there are countermeasures to prevent delay and lag that ruin the overall experience. 

already installed it, and it already has what you want. The reason WHY we don't make big announcements like cross-play is Cuz even if we make big announcements, people like you will only say things like, "waaaa! That's normal in this day and age."
So shut up & sit the hell down. https://t.co/ZA1ZKMV9gC

— Katsuhiro Harada (@Harada_TEKKEN) April 9, 2023

There are two main types of netcode variants that players have familiarized themselves with over time: Delay-based netcode and rollback netcode. The former is a relatively dated mechanic that not a lot of games implement on their end anymore. Rollback, however, is the next upgrade in line that handles the concept of latency differently. It makes the game make real-time input predictions to balance out any pertinent delay.

Tekken 7 didn’t start out with the feature in question right off the bat and eventually received it down the line. However, that particular point is a cause of unrest among fans in the community. Many criticize Tekken 7 for not actually having rollback netcode, given how the game shows typical signs of the pangs associated with delay-based netcode.

This is the reason why many, although happy, are still expressing their concerns over the implementation of rollback in Tekken 8. One comment says, “That’s great and all, but still waiting to hear that there will be rollback, not T7’s ‘rollback.’” The way tech and hardware is advancing in the industry, I presume it’s not a stretch to ask for rollback netcode and crossplay being a part of every fighting game moving forward.

In other news, Harada revealed key Tekken 8 details back in December while sitting down with Michael Murray—Harada’s translator and part of the Tekken developer team—during the TWT 2022: North America Regional Finals Twitch live stream. He confirmed that Jun Kazama would be making a return to Tekken 8. This was recently followed up by the character’s official reveal a week ago. 

Tekken 8 does not have a concrete release date yet but is highly speculated to release in 2023. In the past, an excerpt from a Bandai Namco financial report has mentioned this year to be the title’s official launch window, but don’t hold your breath on that front. The game is presumably skipping old-gen consoles and will only come out for the PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.