Bandai Namco took to the stage at Microsoft’s E3 press event to confirm that Tekken 7, the hotly-anticipated fighting sequel, is set to arrive in early 2017. There’s also a fresh trailer for the brawler, which features Street Fighter‘s Akuma going toe-to-toe with series icon Heihachi Mishima.
Following up on previous franchise crossovers (read: Tekken X Street Fighter), Akuma will pummel his way into Tekken 7 as the game’s bona fide villain, anchoring the all-new story mode in the process. Bandai Namco’s Katsuhiro Harada and Michael Murray were on hand to host the gameplay reveal, with the former noting that Tekken Tag Tournament 2 will be free to Xbox Live Gold Members for this week only as a goodwill gesture.
Building from the arcade title Tekken 7: Fated Retribution, Bandai Namco’s upcoming brawler is pitched as a much darker experience than previous entries in the franchise, revolving around a world-weary Heihachi Mishima who becomes embroiled in a family feud with his son, Kazuya Mishima.
Whether that underlying story piques your interest, or if you’re simply in it for the blistering action, Tekken 7 is now on course for a release in early 2017.
