Tekken 8 Comes Under Fire For Using Dark Patterns In Its Cash Shop

Tekken 8 has finally received its cash shop with the latest update and fans are extremely angry over the use of dark patterns. Bandai Namco announced the addition in a tweet on X (formerly known as Twitter) with several details regarding the eight costumes available in the shop. Expectedly, fans replied with negative remarks.

that's cool and all but i get you gotta keep the lights on,
but this game does the same stupid dark pattern all these free to play games have, 400 coin costume, 500 coin packages, no lower, then that, so you are already paying 5 euros to begin with so i guess i'll buy more right?

— Drake lex (@DatDragonBear) February 29, 2024

X user @DatDragonBear points out how it’s understandable that an online game with extensive post-launch support would need revenue to keep the lights on. However, the practices involved in the Tekken 8 cash shop are a lot like what you see in free-to-play games. They utilize pricing techniques and dark patterns that purposely create the illusion of “wanting to spend more” because the math doesn’t align with the currency. 

In layman’s terms, a premium outfit costs 400 Tekken coins but the lowest pack of coins you can buy is for $5 and gives 500 coins. This means you’re left with 100 of those remaining and if you were to buy a second outfit, you’d need to spend $5 again even though you only require $3 worth of purchase. This is the illusion that’s part of the larger dark pattern technique.

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As such, the most cost-effective way to acquire all outfits would be a transaction of $29.99 though it would depend on the individual. Another problem pointed out by some users is that you can’t mix and match the outfits. Restricting customization on top of having a manipulative cash shop in a $70 game contributed to the backlash directed at Tekken 8.

In the live stream where the shop was revealed, Katsuhiro Harada & Michael Murray talked about development costs and post-launch support demanding MTX. The point many people appear to be making is the lack of ethical practices.

Tekken 8 launched on January 25, 2024, for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC to critical acclaim, selling over 2 million units within its first month. eXputer gave it a rating of 5/5, deeming it a labor of love.