Tekken 8 director reveals plans for Waffle House stage after trying to contact chain

Tekken Director Katsuhiro Harada has revealed his plan to add ‘Waffle House’ to the game as a stage despite the chain not getting back to him.

For over a year, Tekken fans have requested Waffle House as a stage in the iconic fighting game and Harada has been listening.

For those who aren’t familiar with Waffle House, it’s an American 24/7 breakfast chain where, for whatever reason, viral fights always seem to break down involving both customers and staff – something which may actually be good for its business model.

As such, the idea of Tekken characters battling it out in Waffle House has become a bit of a meme in the community while still being a legitimate request. In fact, according to Harada, he’s reached out to Waffle House for a collab.

Tekken Director explains how he’ll add unofficial Waffle House stage

On May 12, Harada responded to a fan’s inquiry about the potential of Waffle House being added to Tekken.

“If we can’t get that ‘House’ name license, how about we call it ‘Hustle House’ stage?” he asked. “Doesn’t that make sense to everyone?”

Fans overwhelmingly agreed that the name didn’t matter as long as it was clear what the stage was referencing.

“Heck, call it Tekken House, everyone will recognize it and love it,” one fan replied.

“As long as it’s a late night diner, we’d get it and love it!” another chimed in. “But we may ask you make a Hustle House employee fighter.”

Harada further stated that over the past year, he had tried to make contact with Waffle House and “fully understood” why fans wanted the chain added as a stage.

“Over the past year or more, I’ve actually tried to make contact through several different channels. However, and this is purely my own speculation, I suspect that the lack of response may be due to the fact that the project I’m known for revolves around ‘fighting-themed video games,’” he remarked.

“That said, if—like I suggested earlier—using a different name or format is acceptable as long as the core message is maintained, then I would be willing to seriously reconsider and explore this again.”

Given the response by the community, it’s looking increasingly likely that ‘Waffle House’ will finally come to Tekken, albeit under a different name.