The Street Fighter franchise was one of the many IPs that added to the excitement surrounding the announcement of the Nintendo Switch 2, with the next generation of Nintendo hardware already having an ambitious range of titles lined up for its launch. Away from the exclusives that grabbed a lot of the headlines following the Switch 2's Direct presentation, many titles have announced their intentions to release ports for the console, with the most recent Street Fighter title making the list.

This comes as great news to many fans of the Street Fighter franchise, while also putting some added pressure on the series' direct competitors. One of Street Fighter's most longstanding rivals is the Tekken franchise, and despite nothing currently being announced, Bandai Namco could do well to announce a Nintendo Switch 2 port of Tekken 8 to enjoy the same benefits that Street Fighter 6 is likely to receive when the console launches on June 5.

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Tekken 8 Has a Lot to Gain From a Nintendo Switch 2 Port of its Own

As expected, one of the largest appeals of the Nintendo Switch 2 is the improved hardware that the console will possess, with its predecessor garnering a negative reputation for its lack of compatibility with more demanding games. With reports suggesting that the Switch 2 will be around ten times more powerful than the original console, Nintendo has a massive opportunity ahead of itself to provide its players with access to more third-party projects, and this could finally see a lot of games making the jump over to the new console.

While a lot of controversy currently exists over the pricing of the Nintendo Switch 2, a lot of positive sentiment exists around the already-confirmed projects for the console, with an official Street Fighter 6 port being a fantastic added bonus to what fans have in store. Of course, Nintendo has already confirmed a lot of projects with major Japanese gaming studios, with the likes of Yakuza 0: Director's Cut and FromSoftware's The Duskbloods, and another titan of the Japanese fighting game industry should find itself on the list.

The current price of the Nintendo Switch 2 is reported as $449.99, dominating a lot of the discourse following its long-awaited reveal presentation.

Tekken 8 released in January 2024 for PlayStation, Xbox, and PC as the tenth entry to the longstanding Bandai Namco franchise, and the prestige and availability of the series seems deserving of the same Switch 2 port that 2023's Street Fighter 6 is set to receive. The hardware of the Switch 2 should be able to handle a nearly one-to-one port of Tekken 8, so the title has no reason to let one of its direct competitors get uncontested access to a new pool of potential players.

Tekken 8's Live Service Status is Perfect For a Nintendo Switch 2 Port

Not only would a Switch 2 port of Tekken 8 maintain this longstanding high level of competition, but it would also be a perfect match for the title's nature as a live service game, as such a release could provide a massive boost to the possibilities of its post-launch content and its overall lifespan. Players could have an easier time keeping up with all the new content if they could play on the go, too. The announcement of Street Fighter 6 for the upcoming console is a clear testament to how receptive the Switch 2's player base will be toward up-to-date fighting games, making it all the more confusing as to why a collaboration has not already been announced between Nintendo and Bandai Namco.

The currently confirmed launch projects for the Nintendo Switch 2 are deeply exciting, but it is clear that the upcoming console still has an immense amount of room to expand its scope even further. Projects like the confirmed Switch 2 port of Street Fighter 6 are already acting as a big statement of intent for this next era of Nintendo, and some healthy competition in the form of a Tekken 8 port would seemingly be as beneficial to the gaming giant as it would be for Bandai Namco's iconic fighting series.

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Tekken 8 Tag Page Cover Art
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Top Critic Avg: 90 /100 Critics Rec: 99%
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Released
January 26, 2024
ESRB
t
Developer(s)
Bandai Namco Entertainment, Arika
Engine
Unreal Engine 5
Multiplayer
Local Multiplayer, Online Multiplayer
Cross-Platform Play
PC, PS5 & Xbox Series X|S
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WHERE TO PLAY

DIGITAL
PHYSICAL
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Genre(s)
Fighting