The upcoming fighting game Tekken 8 will hold a “closed network test” in July, and if you’d like to take part, you can sign up now.
Tekken 8 will be the first game in the series to enable crossplay, meaning that players will be able to throw down with anyone online, regardless of what platform they own. That’s what the CNT, as developer Bandai Namco calls it (probably unwisely, but we’ll leave that alone for now), will be focused on: Head-to-head online play with cross-platform matching. Players will have access to 16 playable characters—Jin, Kazuya, Jun, Paul, Law, King, Lars, Jack 8, Xiaoyu, Nina, Leroy, Lili, Asuka, Hwoarang, and Bryan, plus a new fighter, Claudio—and five stages: Urban Square (evening), Yakushima, Rebel Hangar, Sanctum, and Arena.
Two separate sessions will be held: The first will run June 21-24 and be exclusively for the PlayStation 5 console, while the second will take place over July 28-31 and include PS5, Xbox Series X-S, and Steam. PS5 players who get into the first session will also be eligible for the second.
“We aim to obtain feedback on the quality of the network and gameplay,” Bandai Namco said. “We would greatly appreciate it if all participants could provide feedback through an online survey that we plan to send out via email after the Closed Network Test. Your valuable opinions will be used as a reference for adjustments to the battle system.” When they ask nicely like that, how can you say no?
To get in on the action, pop around to tekken.com and give them your email address, platform of choice, and country of residence. Applicants with a VIP code will get in automatically, while everyone else will be selected randomly; Bandai didn’t say how many testers will be selected for either session, but said that applicants who don’t get in initially could be added later if the cap is increased.
You’ve got until June 27 to sign up for the test—a release date for Tekken 8 has not yet been announced.