With its four players currently rated in the top ten around the world, Pakistan has emerged as an unexpected force on the Tekken scene. Katsuhiro Harada, the director of Tekken, admitted that he still isn’t aware of how this phenomenon came about despite the nation’s quick ascent in the professional circuit.
Thirty years have passed since the debut of the Japanese-developed 3D fighting game Tekken, whose eighth iteration was released earlier this year. East Asians have historically produced the best players, but Pakistan has surprised the esports community with its recent supremacy.
In 2019, Arslan “Arslan Ash” Siddique, the most well-known Tekken player from Pakistan, received fame after taking first place in the famous EVO fighting game competition. His remarkable performance highlighted the start of Pakistan’s rising on the international Tekken scene. Arslan established himself as one of the best rivals in the game by winning the EVO championship four more times.
Nevertheless, the 29-year-old was placed 10th in the world after his early elimination from the Red Bull Golden Letters Tournament in London due to his performance. Atif Butt, a fellow Pakistani, is presently ranked second globally, demonstrating the nation’s increasing prominence in competitive Tekken.
Harada expressed his confusion about the unexpected growth of Pakistan’s Tekken scene in an interview with a foreign news source during the most recent event. It appeared out of thin air. He remarked,
“We had no idea they were playing Tekken. Even now, we’ve never been to Pakistan, so I’m still interested to hear why they became so obsessed with Tekken and so good at the game.”
Producer of the game Michael Murray spoke his mind that he was surprised at Pakistan’s increasing influence. Murray recalled Arslan Ash’s ascent to prominence, saying,
“No one knew him, and then out of nowhere, he came along and said it’s not just him, but many strong players in Pakistan. Everyone was like, ‘What?’ It was such an amazing story.”
Since the introduction of *Tekken 7*, the competitive environment for Tekken has flourished, and the game’s popularity is still rising across the globe.
Lim “Ulsan” Soo-hoon of South Korea won the Red Bull Golden Letters event, defeating Jae-hyun “CherryBerryMango” Kim of his own country in the championship match. The fact that participants came from the USA, Japan, Europe, and other countries attests to the game’s widespread appeal.
Harada took delight in the popularity and durability of the Tekken series as she thought back on the series’ path. He did, however, express some regret at the demise of rival 3D fighting games.
He commented, hinting at the absence of rivalry in the genre,
“It would be more interesting if there were other rivals, right?”
Even though he had trouble at first persuading his family that a career in video games was possible, Harada is now praised for his contributions to the field. He grinned and continued,
“They’re like, ‘Wow, you’re actually doing something with it.”
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