Tekken Tag Tournament 3: ‘Probably not in my working lifetime,’ Harada says
The Tekken boss says it’s more likely a tag mode could be added to a main entry in the series
Tekken series producer Katsuhiro Harada has said that a Tekken Tag Tournament 3 will probably never happen for as long as he continues to work on the series.
The first Tekken Tag Tournament was released in 1999 as a launch title for the PS2 in the West. Arriving between Tekken 3 and 4, it’s not canon to the main story but introduced two-on-two tag matches.
Its sequel Tekken Tag Tournament 2 was released in 2011 for PS3, Xbox 360 and later Wii U, but despite receiving critical acclaim it sold lower than Bandai Namco‘s expectations and a third game has never happened.
In an interview with Destructoid, Harada was asked if he would consider working on Tekken Tag Tournament 3, and potentially making it the next series entry after last year’s Tekken 8.
Harada replied (via a translator) that he had been thinking about a Tag mode recently, and felt “like it should be some kind of mode within a Tekken 9, or 8, or whatever you want to call it”.
When asked to clarify whether this meant he had no plans for a full Tekken Tag game, Harada said the length of time it would take to make a new entry in the series could result in the fighting game landscape changing by the time it’s released.
He explained that while tag fighting games may be popular now, “if we start now [to make Tekken Tag Tournament 3], by the time they’re no longer popular, that’s when Tag Three would come out”.
Harada also explained that the complexity of Tekken makes it harder to quickly release a new spin-off, saying: “We have so many more moves than a typical 2D fighter. So much more work is involved in trying to do that with a 3D game.
“It’s probably a ways off if it were to happen, and so probably not in my working lifetime. So that’s something that the next generation can decide.”
VGC’s Tekken 8 review called the game “a sensational sequel”, saying: “With a renewed emphasis on single-player modes and a new Heat mechanic which ensures fights are more frenetic, it’s up there with Tekken 3 as one of the most exciting high points in the series.”
