In the short three-month period since Tekken 8 launched on January 26, the game's Steam review ratings have plummeted to "Mostly Negative," largely due to a recent update that implemented microtransactions through the Tekken Shop.

Many players were shocked when legendary Tekken developer Katsuhiro Harada announced via a livestream a month after the game’s release that there would be an in-game shop for advanced fighter customization and purchases. Many fans of the franchise have complained that a $70 game shouldn’t cost you another $70 once you’ve bought it. One player even went so far as to say that adding a surprise battle pass or microtransaction after players have already spent money on a game should be “illegal.”

The fact that the game initially launched without a microtransaction store and was then introduced as a surprise has stirred up strong feelings among fans. One player voiced his opinion on the matter, even calling Tekken developers "scummy as fuck" in a Reddit thread discussing the game's downfall among fans.

As if the belated introduction of the Tekken Shop wasn’t enough, Tekken 8 also introduced battle passes and the ability to purchase fighters as DLCs, which contributed to the fighting game’s continued monetization. Capoeira master and Tekken stalwart Eddy Gordo was added to the game’s roster on April 4th. Unfortunately, the fan-favorite Brazilian fighter is stuck behind a paywall.