Tekken 8 Director Responds to the Many Fans Asking for a Waffle House Level

In response to a wave of fans lobbying for a Waffle House-themed stage in Tekken 8, the game’s director Katsuhiro Harada finally broke the silence and addressed the high demand for this unique stage.

Over the weekend, Harada responded to a request one fan made in his replies about adding a stage based on Waffle House to the latest installment in Bandai Namco’s fighting game series. In a rare instance, Harada responded and asked why so many people keep asking him to add this seemingly unrelated breakfast restaurant to the game.

Ok, I will only ask once about this request.
Why do some communities send me requests for “Waffle House”?

Please be sure to explain the basis for the request, including the original story, history and background.

I look forward to an explanation from someone who knows more. https://t.co/w8ozUnJ1mY

— Katsuhiro Harada (@Harada_TEKKEN) March 30, 2024

Many fans flocked to the replies to explain why they would love to see a Waffle House stage in Tekken 8. For those unfamiliar with Waffle House, it’s a chain of Southern diners with nearly 2,000 locations in over 20 states, most of which are located in the South and Midwest.

In its nearly 70 years of operation, Waffle House has become a cultural icon for a few reasons, two most notable ones being it is an open-all-night eating spot (even during emergencies) and because it has become the centerpiece of a lot of memes, most of them surrounding the fact that people have posted photos and videos of fights breaking out at various locations. Even SNL made a skit based on the meme.

hell naw if the waffle house employee Perfect Parries your projectile pack it up lmfao pic.twitter.com/1m7Y30DiJ1

— Kevothy (@KevChelios) December 28, 2022

Two Men fighting a waffle house employee for not making them the tiktok viral waffle sandwich.#fights #memes #crazy #crazyfight #funny pic.twitter.com/Z15BxxoUnU

— Mophlak (@mophlak1_1) July 14, 2023

So this is where I’ll find some worthy opponents.. pic.twitter.com/BJQlYxgk3J

— Vegeta (@Vegetaprnce) September 10, 2023

After the large volume of responses he received explaining the memes, Harada followed up on his question by thanking fans for explaining “why” they wanted it so much. But as you might have expected, he said that making the stage would not be easy because Waffle House is a registered trademark and he would need permission from the owner of the rights to Waffle House to make the stage.

Thanks for the explanation guys.
And I understand that many people are requesting it.
However, I think you are missing one important point.
The restaurant has both the trademark and the rights to the restaurant, so if the restaurant chain’s headquarters refuses to accept my… https://t.co/tnvss5w09j

— Katsuhiro Harada (@Harada_TEKKEN) March 30, 2024

Nevertheless, fans of Waffle House and/or the Waffle House memes have some hope that, just maybe, they will get a Tekken 8 stage based on the eatery.

For more on what’s actually in Tekken 8 right now, check out our Tekken 8 review and all the details on Eddy Gordo, its first DLC fighter that’s arriving today, April 1, for Year 1 Pass holders.

Image Credit: Christian Petersen / Getty Images

Taylor is a Reporter at IGN. You can follow her on Twitter @TayNixster.