According to Bandai Namco, Tekken 7 will officially be released on June 2, several months later than the previously announced early 2017 launch schedule. The wait will probably be worth it since the brawler video game will include exciting contents such as the slew of game modes and around 30 fighters.
On Tekken 7's Delay
In a press conference, Katsuhiro Harada, Tekken's game director, stated that the holdup is largely caused by his team's desire not to release a half-baked product.
"We were trying to do everything we could to make that date happen," Harada commented about the schedule before a gaggle of reporters during the game's launch in Tokyo. "But in the end we came to the decision that [after] seeing releases from other companies, as well as some of the past of our own, where maybe things weren't working 100% at launch, or maybe it was missing some content, that's the kind of thing we wanted to avoid with Tekken 7."
He has repeatedly apologized to fans for the delay both at the event and at Twitter.
But sorry about that release date..
RT@Yellow_Motion I fully support KT7, and its final Release Date! It's going to be AMAZING! Thank you— Katsuhiro Harada (@Harada_TEKKEN) January 23, 2017
Street Fighter V's Mistake
Harada must be talking about rival fighting franchise Street Fighter V, which has so far missed its target sales last year. He seems to be indicating that the rush to launch the game has contributed to weaker public reception. Capcom has already admitted that the title was indeed lacking content during its master release.
"Some aspects of Street Fighter V needed more polish, such as the lack of content and server issues at launch," Kenzo Tsujimoto, Capcom's chairman and CEO, said.
Capcom was also savaged by fans unhappy with the dearth of basic modes and features when it first hit the market.
Complete Tekken 7 Content
Bandai Namco maintains that the delay was necessary to enable the game developers to incorporate the complete game content.
Aside from the game modes and characters, Tekken 7 will also include contents from the Tekken 7, Fated Retribution.
This arcade version has been released in Japan last year, but it does not contain features, characters, and settings that will be found on the console version. Gamers can also expect a full story mode when it gets unleashed in June, another element not found in the Fated Retribution.
Other Game Details
It is not yet clear if the Tekken 7 Season Pass will arrive with the game. However, it is certainly coming and will be the very first for the franchise. It will be bundled with the Tekken 7 Digital Deluxe Edition available to PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Steam players. It promises owners access to downloadable contents that include new characters, costumes, and stages, among others after launch.
The team also underscored that the Tekken 7 will begin shipping with significant performance improvements. According to Harada, this can be demonstrated in the way they managed to shorten the game's loading time from one minute to 15 to 18 seconds.
