Tekken 7 will, at long last, receive a release date on consoles next week, Bandai Namco has announced. Posting a teaser to the game’s official Twitter page, the developer asks fans to keep an eye out for the reveal next week, although it doesn’t provide an exact window.
During Microsoft’s E3 keynote last year, Namco assured fans that the beat ’em up would see an early 2017 launch, so assuming that’s still the case, it could arrive at any point from the beginning of February onwards. Street Fighter star Akuma was confirmed to be a part of Tekken 7‘s roster during the same presser, and it seems he’ll be adopting a more classic appearance for his crossover debut rather than the lion-like hairstyle Capcom gave the character in Street Fighter V.
To all Tekken fans and beyond: look forward to the release date announcement of Tekken 7 next week. Stay tuned! pic.twitter.com/pTeI6FTHyG
— TEKKEN (@TEKKEN) January 18, 2017
Having received a limited release in Japanese arcades two years ago, Namco has subsequently been hard at work, fleshing out Tekken 7 with new characters, stages and costumes in order to get it ready for a full-fledged retail launch. Iconic characters such as Nina Williams, Bob and Master Raven have been announced since then, the former of which now sports a flowing wedding dress rather than her standard combat-ready garb. The most recent additions, unveiled last year, were Kuma and Panda, which were shown alongside a dedicated tournament mode for veteran fighter fans looking to test their might against other players.
Tekken 7 is just the first in a long line of triple-A fighters planned for release in 2017. With Injustice 2 pegged for a console launch in May, followed by Marvel Vs. Capcom: Infinite later in the year, it’s truly never been a better time to be a beat ’em up fan. Having had the chance to go hands-on with Tekken 7 last year, I’m in the mind that it could well prove to be at the top of the pile come year-end.
