Video Games

John Wick At Tekken 8? Bandai Namco Teases John Wick In Leaked Screenshots

Get ready for the next battle, and this time John Wick takes the lead.

If a deleted tweet from Bandai Namco is any indication, it seems John Wick will be the newest fighter in the King of Iron Fist Tournament.

John Wick Blasts His Way To Tekken?

The supposed tweet, posted last March 27 reveals screenshots of what appears to be an in-game model of the titular action protagonist. In it, he’s seen disarming guards of what appears to be the Tekken Force, and firing back with his expert marksmanship.

While the screenshots do appear to show a yet to be refined model, it does stir a few questions. The appearance of John Wick in the franchise may make sense, given his penchant for the bizarre in terms of combat.
It can be remembered that the John Wick story was developed by Derek Kolstad, who first created the character for a story titled Scorn. The main character, who ended up becoming John Wick, was also a retired contract killer who was pushed back into the open to seek vengeance. What became the popular 2X14 film, and what started the popular neo-noir action franchise, ended up becoming about a retired contract killer out to seek vengeance for a puppy from his recently deceased wife.

Screenshots in the now-deleted tweet reveal that either Keanu Reeves will reprise his role as John Wick for the King of Iron First Tournament, or at least his appearance is retained for the character. His model is reminiscent of  MAESTRE’s Grand Theft Auto 5 mod. How MAESTRE’s work is related to the supposed reveal is yet to be announced. Fans surmise it could also be unrelated to MAESTRE’s work and is instead an early reveal of John Wick for Tekken, and that John Wick will not be a DLC for Tekken 7 and rather one of the “guest” characters in the upcoming installment.

John Wick Tekken

Not Very Unlikely

A Eurogamer article also revealed a second deleted tweet on the same day, this time with supposed test gameplay footage. In it, the supposed moveset of John Wick in Tekken will focus less on firearms and more on close quarters melee. He is shown dishing out blocks, grabs, and throws with remarkable efficiency. It’s unknown if this is a part of his natural moveset, or if these are simply his own variations of grabs and throws like with other characters.

Whether or not John Wick will also use firearms in Tekken is yet to be revealed. This is still within the realm of possibility, given mainstay Yoshimitsu and newcomer Noctis (Final Fantasy 15) also use swords.
His potential appearance in Tekken wouldn’t be John Wick’s first foray into the gaming scene either, as he’s been made a playable character in Payday 2.

While not much has been revealed with John Wick’s appearance in Tekken, it does pose a lot of questions in terms of continuity. Will his involvement with the story be more of a passing occurrence, or will it be a big reveal like with Akuma’s? Folks at Bandai Namco have yet to release an official statement on the matter, but it sure has got us hooked.
Stay tuned at What’s A Geek! for more updates on #JohnWickAtTekken8. #HAP2X18

Rhenn Taguiam

Rhenn Taguiam is a frustrated journalist with a knack for comic books and video games. He likes pizza and pasta, and has an uncontrollable urge to gush over anything Super Sentai, Star Trek or X-Men. He is currently on his way to get his Master's Degree - unless he creates his own video game or graphic novel first.

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