Amin Abbas

DUBAI: A launch event for Tekken 8, the latest installment of the Tekken video game series, was held on Jan. 25 at ZGames in Dubai Hills Mall, featuring various activities such as the ‘Dragon Punch’ competition, where fans have to use their strength to punch the boxing bag for the highest score and win amazing prizes.

The event started at 10 p.m., and people queued in a long line to play the ‘Dragon Punch’ competition and buy various versions of the game, including the exclusive Premium Collector’s edition.

“I’m exceptionally delighted to see Tekken 8 fans lining up waiting to get their game copy after years of waiting. We at Bandai Namco always love to support the community by validating major Tekken 8 esports tournaments across the region and asking all the fans to improve their Tekken 8 skills to participate,” a representative of Bandai Namco told Arab News Japan exclusively.

“Lastly, I would like to thank my team and the ZGames team for the amazing support of the Tekken 8 launch in the region,” he added.

Bibi Zumot, a digital creator, shared his feedback about the game’s launch event, saying, “I was very pleased with the Tekken 8 Launch that was hosted by ZGames; the event was cozy and engaging; I got the chance to play the game for the first time and participate in a boxing competition to get the Premium Collector’s Edition; sadly, I couldn’t use my dominant hand as it broke last year through a punching bag, but I still got a high score using my left one.”

“It’s wonderful to see that retailers are stepping up and taking initiative for the gaming industry. I was so happy to see my friends in the MENA gaming community in this event, and I’m so grateful for being able to get my hand on the Premium Collector’s Edition as I have been a massive fan of the Tekken series since my childhood. I will be playing the game as soon as I get home,” he added.

Tekken 8 is available now on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC with an Arabic version, which includes Arabic menus and texts in the Middle East region.