EVO apologize to Tekken fans after controversial Snake DLC prank

Tekken fans were left stunned after it appeared that Snake from Metal Gear Solid was set to make an appearance in-game. Yet, not everything was as it seemed.

As the biggest event in the fighting game community (FGC) calendar, EVO is the perfect setting to reveal new content, big changes, and even new titles. Traditionally, games like Smash and Tekken have showcased their new DLC characters during the final matches to build some hype in the crowd. 

However, that hype can die down just a little bit when these fighters get leaked – just as EVO 2019, fans in the venue were treated to a message from Metal Gear Solid’s Snake, as the character stated: “That was some good ass Tekken,” before disappearing back off-screen. 

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Of course, this left fans wondering if Snake himself was about to be introduced as a new DLC character. However, once the finals were over and Arslan ‘Arslan Ash’ Siddique was crowned as the victor, Bandai Namco, the game’s developers, revealed upcoming changes for Tekken – as well as new characters.

Sadly, though, for those fans who had been hyped up by Snake’s appearance, he was nowhere to be seen – leaving them puzzled by what had just happened.

Of course, it turned out that this was solely a joke by Evo and not done in partnership with Bandai Namco. Evo quickly offered an apology to fans who may have been upset by their small prank.

“Just to clear things up, the Snake cameo video that we showed during Tekken finals was our idea of a little joke,” they tweeted. “It was not intended to imply a character reveal, and was done on our own, without consulting Bandai Namco. Sorry for any confusion!”

Still, that Twitter apology didn’t cut it for many fans, who were still furious at the organizers for pulling off such a dastardly prank. 

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Marie-Laure ‘Kayane’ Norindr, a female fighting game star from France responded: “Never again please! The tournament was not over, so it drives the players’ attention to this Snake cameo instead of the finals. Nothing is impossible with Tekken. They got Negan, Noctis..Snake could have really been possible, so its actually really disappointing it’s not real.” 

Fans who are still waiting for characters like Snake to join the Tekken roster will have to wait just a little bit longer, until the developers themselves decide to make a change. 

Until that point, players will have to be wary of what they believe to be a reveal, and what is solely a prank.