Tekken 8 and Street Fighter 6 could represent a new golden age of fighting games. Building off an incredibly strong crop of games currently on the market, the addition of these two marquis titles has the potential to push the genre to a level of popularity not seen since the 1990s.
Every few years, the term "golden age" is thrown around the fighting game community (FGC). When a big game is announced, or a great new fighting game launches, the tendency is to jump on the golden age bandwagon. Historically, this has proven to be wishful thinking, but with Street Fighter 6 looming large and the recent announcement of Tekken 8, it could become reality.
Tekken and Street Fighter are the two biggest fighting game franchises out there. Every time a new iteration of these games launches, the entire FGC takes notice. The announcement trailer for Tekken 8 showcases a brutal fight between Jin and Kazuya. What is immediately striking are the visuals. The game looks amazing and is a stark improvement from its predecessor. The characters are detailed and the stage on which the fight takes place is dynamic and awe-inspiring. While the trailer shows an evolution in Tekken, it still looks and feels like the classic game that fans of the franchise know and love.
Furthermore, the trailer was not a CGI cinematic representation of Tekken 8. Rather, it was genuine gameplay that shows what the player will experience when they eventually get their hands on the game. Katsuhiro Harada, the director of Tekken 8, stated that the trailer footage was taken from story mode gameplay captured on a PlayStation 5. If this is true, then Tekken 8 visuals could be on a level never before seen in fighting games. With stunning graphics and the high-quality gameplay the franchise is known for, this might be the best Tekken game to date.
Street Fighter 6 is garnering unprecedented levels of anticipation as well. It is quickly becoming one of the biggest game releases of 2023 and with good reason. The gameplay footage revealed so far has received overwhelming praise and many observers are throwing around phrases such as "the greatest fighting game of all time," and "the fighting game to end all fighting games." The game is not out yet, and these claims cannot be verified, but there are still many reasons to be excited about the title.
Street Fighter 6 looks amazing. The way it uses lighting and colors is striking and immediately appealing. Returning characters such as Chun Li and Ryu are familiar, but their redesigns add intrigue. Newcomers Kimberly and Jamie are interesting and dynamic. The stages showcased so far are stunning and the overall feel of the game is that it is ambitious and content-rich. Gameplay footage has introduced the Drive Gauge system, which is a new battle mechanic that allows players the choice of five different offensive or defensive techniques. Capcom claims that this new system will offer players many avenues of freedom and creativity, and a great deal of choice regarding how they want to play the game.
Also offered in Street Fighter 6 are many game modes that are immediately attractive to fighting game veterans and casual players alike. The typical fighting game features include local co-op, online multiplayer modes, arcade mode, and a training mode. What is new and most innovative here is the open-world style mode called World Tour. What has been revealed so far looks like a unique and engaging single-player experience that is typically lacking in fighting games. Deep and engaging single-player content could be what attracts newcomers to the series, and to fighting games in general.
If Tekken 8 and Street Fighter 6 live up to their potential, they will build upon a fighting game genre that is already in the best shape it has been in for a long time. The recently concluded EVO 2022 fighting game tournament is evidence of how strong and engaged the FGC currently is. If EVO 2022 is the barometer by which gamers can measure the overall health of the fighting game genre, then the future is bright indeed.
King of Fighters XV and Guilty Gear Strive are seeing series-high levels of popularity, with both games releasing their second seasons. Strive has sold over 1,000,000 units, which is massive for a fighting game. Mortal Kombat 11 is still going strong, and the release of Mortal Kombat 12 seems imminent. The strong showings of Granblue Fantasy: Versus and Melty Blood: Type Lumina illustrate that the audience for niche fighting games is still significant, and the renaissance of Skullgirls: 2nd Encore is proof of the longevity of quality games in the genre.
With rollback netcode becoming industry standard and many games promising to dissolve platform barriers through crossplay, the online community for fighting games is becoming stronger than it has ever been before. Fighting games are tough, and although the FGC is very competitive, it has always been welcoming to new players. A healthy online community means more support for new players as they navigate their way through the steep learning curves that are synonymous with fighting games.
With the current depth and quality of fighting games and a groundswell of interest in Street Fighter 6 and Tekken 8, the genre is in the best state it has been in since Street Fighter II: Champion Edition hit the arcades in 1992. This was the game that launched the original golden age of fighting games and influenced many great games that followed, including Tekken, Mortal Kombat, King of Fighters, and more. Thirty years later, the genre is poised to repeat history on the heels of two major releases.
It remains unclear whether Street Fighter 6 and Tekken 8 will usher in a new golden age of fighting games, but what is certain is that the hype is warranted, and the potential is real. Fighting games are very much alive and well, and for the current generation of gamers, they are better than ever.