Tekken Online Challenge 2020 – Competitive Tekken goes regional

Fighting Games
September 9, 2020
Jordan Ashley

Tekken is one of the biggest fighting games around, yet it has had a bit of a dry spell competitively this year. Compared to other titles like Mortal Kombat, there hasn’t been much going on for Tekken fans or players in 2020. The Tekken World Tour was intended to be the game’s big event.

However, that was cancelled for obvious reasons, leaving Tekken fairly empty for the year. To rectify the situation, Bandai Namco have finally announced a new event. The Tekken Online Challenge as a replacement tournament for Tekken. While the stakes at this event aren’t as high, the action should be as fun as ever.

The Tekken Online Challenge is going to be a place for Tekken pros and hopefuls to show off their prowess. With the cancelled Tekken World Cup, and after the disruptions this year, it’s still better than nothing. The game is going to be played online but still confined to regional events. So far there have been few complaints about the network aspects of the game, which is great news considering the problems some fighting games have in online play.

Tekken TOC 2020

© Tekken World Tour

The Tekken Online Challenge – Schedule and Format

The Tekken Online Challenge is going to be 10 local tournaments that will run on a double-elimination format. They begin with EU West in September 12-13th and conclude in November in Japan. Each event is going to whittle the region’s players down to the top combatants in their area. There isn’t a big competition for the world afterward, but players can still claim to be the best in their region. These are the event dates:

  • EU West – 12-13 September
  • Korea – 29-20 September
  • US East – 26-27 September
  • EU North – 10-11 October
  • Australia – 17-18 October
  • US Central – 24-25 October
  • EU Southwest – 7-8 November
  • Philippines – 14-15 November
  • US West – 21-22 November
  • Japan – 5-6 December

Tournaments take place online so anyone from these regions is a potential participant. As a Double Elimination format though, the games are not going to be very forgiving. The matches are relatively low stakes, but Tekken players will need a place to hone their skills and make sure they’re in top form for the return of paid Tekken matches in the near future. Since there is no prize pool, players can expect a wider mix of opponents. Registering is done pretty simply.

Players can sign up for the events on Smash.gg pages. From there, taking part in the Tekken Online Challenge is relatively simple.

Competitive Tekken After the Tekken Online Challenge

There isn’t a prize pool for the Tekken Online Challenge, so everyone is simply competing for bragging rights. This might be frustrating for players who spend a long time honing their skills in Tekken. However, we’re likely to see the return of normal events next year when regular Esports leagues can be held again.

Tekken may end up having to have a pretty quiet year. Pros who specialize in one game always have problems when things like this occur. However, with the current situation, it seems Tekken pros will have to be content with a ‘for fun’ tournament.

For further information refer to the official Tekken World Tour page.

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