Tekken 8 director Harada is very active on Twitter, and he posed the question of why so many players are asking for a Waffle House stage. The response to all of this has him actually considering what it’d take to make this happen.
Tekken 7 broke a lot of new ground for the series, with crossovers like Akuma, Noctis, Geese Howard, and even The Walking Dead’s Negan bringing fighters in from other universes.
And though there are many exciting characters from other games who could be a great fit for Tekken 8, the crossover many fans of the series want most isn’t a character; it’s a place.
Tekken 8 director Harada asked why fans often requested Waffle House for him, and he couldn’t have imagined the massive response that came from it.
Ok, I will only ask once about this request.Why do some communities send me requests for "Waffle House"?Please be sure to explain the basis for the request, including the original story, history and background.I look forward to an explanation from someone who knows more. https://t.co/w8ozUnJ1mY
— Katsuhiro Harada (@Harada_TEKKEN) March 30, 2024
And, while much of the culture around why people wanted a Waffle House stage was the number of infamous fights that have taken place in and around Waffle House restaurants late at night, there’s a more compelling argument for this stage existing if we consider the Waffle House Index.
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Waffle House restaurants are known for staying open no matter the conditions, only closing in the event that the restaurant loses power, doesn’t have enough food to serve, or gets destroyed entirely.
Would a Waffle House stay open if there was a heated Mishima battle going on outside? Maybe, although Harada explained that making this crossover happen wouldn’t be a simple task.
“Thanks for the explanation guys. And I understand that many people are requesting it. However, I think you are missing one important point. The restaurant has both the trademark and the rights to the restaurant, so if the restaurant chain’s headquarters refuses to accept my proposal, it will not happen,” Harada explained.
In other words, the ball is in Waffle House’s court. Weirder things have happened in the Tekken series, though getting Waffle House in the game before Tifa would be a crazy turn of events.