The full scope of Tekken 8's monetization has been revealed, showing that Bandai Namco is trying to cast a wide net to capture more earnings.
Shortly after launch, Tekken 8 has become the most controversial game in the series. The fighter is packing a lot of extra microtransaction muscle this time around, offering three forms of monetization: Multiple full game versions, in-game premium currency, and the new battle pass. It's that last one that brings us here today.
Tekken 8's battle pass, aka the Fight Pass, has both a paid and free track. The paid Premium Pass track costs 600 Tekken Coins, or about $6, but you can't buy that many Tekken Coins in one go. Due to currency denominations, the Premium Pass requires at least a $10 purchase in order to get (this is by design). The pass will essentially "pay for itself" because it doles out a total of 600 Tekken Coins by the time you reach level 60.
Bandai Namco is also selling a $20 Premium Pass Plus upgrade that includes the full Premium Pass and instantly boost your battle pass ranking by 20 levels.
The free battle pass also has 60 levels, but it only gives out 30 rewards. Conversely, the paid battle pass rewards you every time you level up, meaning it has the full 60 rewards. The free Fight Pass has multiple holes, and sometimes only rewards players every 5 levels. For example, the stretch between level 51-60 is particularly harsh on the free pass and only gives out 2 rewards.
Tekken 8's monetization is controversial because these are the kinds of things that were included in Tekken 7 without extra charges.