Bandai Namco Offers Free Tekken 8 Stage to Season Pass Holders
While Tekken 8 was released to critical acclaim earlier this year, Bandai Namco has been catching some heat for the game's approach to DLC since then. Shortly after launch, an in-game store was added to Tekken 8, allowing players to buy costumes from previous entries in the series (something that was previously free in the Tekken series). Following that, a battle pass was launched into the game, leading to even further fan outcry.
The latest controversy to hit the game arrived alongside the new Heihachi Mishima DLC fighter. Releasing alongside Heihachi was the Genmaji Temple DLC stage, which is not included in the Deluxe Edition or Ultimate Editions of the game (which includes the Playable Character Year 1 Season Pass), so while players will get Heihachi, they won't get his associated stage. This has led to the game receiving a 'Mixed' review score on Steam's recent reviews, and the stage DLC itself sitting at 'Very Negative'.
Not wanting to incur the wrath of angry season pass holders any further, Bandai Namco has announced via the @TEKKEN Twitter account that the next stage coming to the game as DLC will be included free of charge to Deluxe and Ultimate Edition holders. Not only that, everyone who logs into Tekken 8 between October 29 and November 26, 2024, will get 500 Tekken coins as a gesture of goodwill.
An important message from the #TEKKEN8 team. pic.twitter.com/OfYbeyLBU4
— TEKKEN (@TEKKEN) October 17, 2024
Bandai Namco had never advertised the Playable Character Year 1 Pass as including the stages as DLC. However, since the previous DLC pack featuring Lidia Sobieska came with the free Seaside Resort stage (which was a repurposed version of the Tekken Ball mode's stage) and that Tekken 7's passes came with stages, it's understandable why players got confused this time around.
How to get your free Tekken 8 apology rewards
So first off, you'll need to wait until October 29 to get your free Tekken 8 apology reward of 500 Tekken Coins. Once that date arrives, the currency will presumably be redeemable via a pop-up on the Tekken 8 main menu or by going to the News tab on the main menu (the one with the Bell icon at the bottom of the screen). Keep in mind this will only be available until November 26, 2024.
As for the free Tekken 8 stage DLC, Bandai Namco has claimed the DLC is scheduled for a winter release, so we imagine it'll be released alongside the currently unknown fourth DLC character in the Playable Character Year 1 Pass. Once it arrives, it could be available on the Tekken 8 store page like the Genmaji Temple stage or included in the update like the Seaside Resort stage (meaning you don't need to do anything!). But given that it's a bonus addition to the Playable Character Year 1 Pass, we think the former is the more likely option.
