Sales for Bandai Namco’s Tekken 7 have now surpassed four million copies worldwide, which is a significant milestone for the game and shows its staying power over two years past its launch onto consoles and PC.
The game first launched back in 2015 in Japanese arcades, and like all titles in the Tekken series, maintains a healthy community of competitive and casual players alike. The game remains one of the most played in tournaments as well, as seen in the upcoming EVO 2019 event this August, currently sitting at third for the most entries of competitors at just under 2,000.
The success and longevity of the game can be attributed towards a few points. First, the developers did an excellent job in terms of balance following the Season 2 changes, making characters that were marginally useful before now more competitive at higher ranks of play. With a roster of 45 players currently, and the potential for more additions, this means that there is a broad range of characters to see in tournament settings, though both Jin and Devil Jin still dominate the meta.
The success of Tekken 7 also shows the importance and effectiveness of the ongoing release of DLC packs, where new characters are slowly added to the base roster, allowing for the number to reach its current state of 45. Doing so seems to be favorable to players, as it helps keep the meta fresh and allow for shifts in competitive strategy, and in addition, has allowed for the addition of characters from outside the Tekken series.
A Variety Of DLC Characters Have Been Added
So far, we have seen a character from the Final Fantasy universe, Street Fighter, The Walking Dead, and more. These same sort of DLC releases that include special guests has also been used previously in the Mortal Kombat series to great effect, as many of these characters quickly become fan favorites.
The question now is what will be happening with the game going forward, especially as consumers see the release of the next generation of consoles, likely in the holiday season of 2020. Both systems are likely to be backwards compatible, based on current promises, so the question should instead be when it will be right to move onto the next game in the series, be it Tekken 8, the next Tekken Tag Tournament, or something different altogether.
On the one hand, players will not likely want to give up on all the DLC content they have paid for. On the other, a new game with improved graphics and changes to the combat is always welcome.
For now, we can simply be happy that the game is still doing so well years after its initial release, with no signs of slowing.
Tekken 7 is available for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.