Tekken 8 Chief Katsuhiro Harada Says He’s Going to Rethink His Role Following DLC Stage Backlash

ign.com:

Tekken 8 boss Katsuhiro Harada has stepped into the ongoing row over the sale of a premium DLC stage after fans accused publisher Bandai Namco of “corporate greed.”

This week, alongside the release of DLC character Heihachi Mishima and the accompanying free story mode expansion, Bandai Namco sold the Genmaji Temple stage for $4.99, sparking a backlash from fans who had expected the stage to be made available for free — as the stage that accompanied the release of prior DLC character Lidia Sobieska was.

Part of the frustration comes from mismanaged expectations and the Tekken 8 community’s feeling that Bandai Namco is overreaching here given the game itself and its DLC character pass comes with a premium price tag. Currently, paying real-world money is the only way to obtain the stage DLC.

Here's a snippet of the reaction from the Tekken subreddit.

Amid calls for a boycott and other strong complaints from Tekken 8 players, Harada has addressed the situation. His explanation for the DLC stage basically comes down to his role on Tekken within Bandai Namco, and his separation from the business side of the operation to focus on development.

This structural set-up was a mistake, Harada admitted in a tweet, and he confirmed plans to reorganize not only the Tekken business but his role within it to ensure community expectations are met in the future.

Here’s Harada’s statement in full:

It’s a typically frank statement from Harada, who is never shy to criticize his paymasters at Bandai Namco over their management of Tekken and the company’s various fighting game franchises. In June, for example, Harada was remarkably candid in discussing why Soul Calibur disappeared, and only last week he admitted he tried and failed to get KFC mascot Colonel Sanders in Tekken.

As for Tekken 8, it faces an uphill struggle getting disgruntled players back on-side following the DLC stage furore. On Steam, its recent user review rating is down to ‘mixed’ from ‘mostly positive’ overall, with most of the