With the immense popularity of Nintendo’s Switch 2 console, it almost seems like a no-brainer that any and every third-party title will eventually find a home on the system. Since Street Fighter 6 was a launch game for the unit, many have wondered if Bandai Namco would follow suit with a port of Tekken 8, the latest in the long-running franchise that released just last year on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S. While it’s certainly not out of the realm of possibility, Tekken series director Katsuhiro Harada told Eurogamer that it would “require a lot of work” to make it happen.
During an interview at EVO 2025, Harade told the outlet about the chances of Tekken 8 appearing on Nintendo’s latest hardware. He said, “It’s an interesting option, and not totally off the table. But it would require a lot of work on the game to get it running on that hardware. From a business standpoint, [the Switch 2] is doing quite well, so it would be a very good business decision if you’re trying to get a bigger audience. But the amount of work that would have to be done on the game makes it not a very easy decision.”
As you would expect, Harada and Bandai Namco had nothing to announce on the matter during EVO. The question of a Nintendo Switch 2 port also comes at a pivotal time for Tekken 8, which is currently facing controversy for gameplay changes made as part of Season Three. When the fighter was released, it was met with warm reception from both critics and players, but the tables have turned. Now, the latest DLC fighters are receiving decidedly negative feedback, and the game’s balance is so out of wack that many are dropping the game entirely. Porting the game to Switch 2 while also trying to rectify the current situation might be too much to juggle at once.
At the same time, Harada has mentioned on social media that development costs for Tekken 8 were astronomically higher than previous installments in the franchise. As he claimed, the game cost “more than double or nearly triple the cost of Tekken 7.” A belated Switch 2 port might be able to make up for the budget deficit that Tekken 8 is in, but it might also arrive too late.
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Written by Peter Glagowski
Peter has been a freelance gaming and film critic for over seven years. His passion for Nintendo is only matched by the size of his collection.
