Renowned video game director Katsuhiro Harada, who is behind the upcoming Bandi/Namco Tekken 8, addressed a troubling trend that has soured the anticipation surrounding the game’s development in a statement that has gone viral in the gaming community. Since the beginning, Harada has been aware of the ardor video game fans have for their favorite characters; a cavalcade of colorful personalities that makes the Tekken series stand out among its fighting game peers. However, despite rounds of extreme criticism for his title, he is taking an Iron Fist against abusive and threatening behavior directed toward his team of developers.
The absurd attempt to tie the late confirmation of a playable character to a brazen act of racism is the most recent round of irritating criticism Harada has had to put up with. The original post criticizes the lack of disclosure regarding fighter Eddy Gordo for the upcoming Tekken 8, but it goes a step further and charges the game’s publisher with racism for withholding his and other character’s confirmation.
“The only reason why Eddy Gordo hasn’t been revealed yet is because the creators of @TEKKEN are racist and don’t care about black characters or Dark skinned people so it’s going to be awhile until the real fighters come out instead of these whites latins and asians @Harada_TEKKEN“; the tweet goes.
Harada personally responded to the accusation rather than allowing it to go unanswered, pointing out that there are several well-known black characters in Tekken. Harada also shares a personal narrative about his encounters with representation.
“Leroy and Raven will kick your ass. Come to think of it, there are no Japanese characters in the American dramas and movies that I love, but I have never felt discriminated against because of it. What do you think is the crucial difference between you and me? (I am sure you don’t understand).” Harada replied, explaining the logic of a Japanese man who is fine with enjoying stories by non-Japanese people.
He then lays waste to the troll. “You are not logical at all, and you are simply a delusional person who doesn’t even realize that even if it were an emotional argument, it doesn’t make sense.”
RELATED: China Gaming Market Takes $80 Billion Loss Limiting In-Game Rewards For Daily, First Time Players
Harada has had to put up with internet trolls causing problems for his next video game recently as well. After the second Tekken 8 closed trial in July of last year, a lot of players were so excited about it that they couldn’t find the will to play Tekken 7 anymore. One player, however, who lists themselves as a “Top 16 AEL Tekken 7 Player 2020” on Twitter, tweeted Harada straight, saying the game “sucks” and including a screenshot of them breaking the game.
Harada responded in his typical flyswatter fashion, not by brushing off the joke, but saying, “I’m sure those swear words apply to your computer as well.” The intense burn captivated Tekken 8 players, as one fan commented, “Harada-sensei just parried this man’s sentence and launched it.“
In addition to handling the online jabs and quips, Harada appears to know how to maintain attention on the Fighting Game Community (FGC), which is his primary concern. Harada made it apparent that this kind of behavior is not only “silly,” but also jeopardizes the core of the gaming community in a tweet that went viral on social media.
The barrage of threatening behavior can also have practical consequences such as increased security during events or even appearance cancellations “When people make these silly threats, I and everyone [in the] FGC suffer the following losses,” Harada writes. “The event operator overreacts and increases security, which increases operating costs and increases the burden on the players attending the event. In the worst case, the event management will request me to cancel my attendance at the event.“
Threats and harassment also create an uncomfortable work environment for the development team. “Company founders, board members, and lawyers ‘don’t like to be intimidated,’ so they ask me to cancel inclusion in the game.” Harada adds that the Tekken 8 video game development team’s motivation is impacted by these threats, which means “requests of enthusiasts will be far from being realized,” Harada says. “In short, ‘don’t ask me for s***.’“
It’s encouraging to see a video game creator who is willing to stand up for his passion project and its supporters in front of the public. Harada’s resolve and willingness to submit verbally to his “critics” ought to be the norm when interacting with the legions of trolls who want to criticize everything. Hopefully, Harada’s dedication to the developers and gamers who can’t get enough of his work will serve as an example for more creators across all media. Above all, a creator needs to speak truth to power in order to defend their medium and their work against any and all opposition. Hopefully, one day, all creators will have the courage to speak out with the same focused resolve like Harada.
Tekken 8 will be released on January 26, 2024, for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and Windows.
Let us know if you’re excited for the latest installment of Tekken 8 like we here at Fandom Pulse are! Do you think video game creators should defend their work like Harada? Leave a comment below!
NEXT: Nintendo Keeps Quiet About ‘Switch 2’ As Industry Predictions Tone Down Gaming Expectations
Sub-100 follower trolls aren’t worth wasting anyone’s time on. This guy clearly revels in the attention; he replied to almost everyone. Don’t feed the trolls. Everyone involved lost.