Katsuhiro Harada, the game director of Tekken 8 and god of everything Tekken, has officially confirmed that the upcoming fighting game will have crossplay and rollback netcode. He shared this news on Twitter, directly responding to fans’ questions about the game’s features. And this is a huge deal for anyone who has played any fighting game online.
already installed it, and it already has what you want. The reason WHY we don't make big announcements like cross-play is Cuz even if we make big announcements, people like you will only say things like, "waaaa! That's normal in this day and age."
So shut up & sit the hell down. https://t.co/ZA1ZKMV9gC— Katsuhiro Harada (@Harada_TEKKEN) April 9, 2023
Harada explained that both crossplay and rollback netcode will be present and functional in Tekken 8 at launch. He responded to one fan’s inquiry about crossplay by saying, “Crossplay? Of course I will.” Similarly, he confirmed to another fan that the rollback netcode was already installed and had everything the fans wanted.
Harada further elaborated on crossplay by stating that he had proposed the feature during the launch of the PS4 and Xbox One generation. However, the platform holders prevented the feature from being implemented due to disagreements over mutual interests and P2P security issues.
Tekken 8 Director Confirms Crossplay and Rollback Netcode
The announcement of crossplay and rollback netcode is likely to be well-received by the fighting game community. However, players are still eagerly waiting for a chance to experience Tekken 8 for themselves. Currently, the game is only being tested through closed alpha testing, but Harada has hinted that a public beta will eventually be made available. In the meantime, he has asked fans to “please wait for the beta.”
For the uninitiated, here is a small summary of why this is a big deal. Cross-play is fairly evident, it allows players from different consoles or PC to play against each other, so the player base is bigger than it would have been if each platform was segregated. But rollback netcode is the real kicker! Fighting games are unlike shooters or any other online multiplayer game since the inputs must be perfectly timed for each opponent. Any delay could quickly put one player at a disadvantage. Rollback netcode is simply the best way to play fighting games online, and this might even make it as good as Street Fight 6’s rollback implementation.