Playing 2XKO on my PS5 makes me yearn for a Tekken Tag remake

2XKO has been a constant presence on my PS5 console these last few weeks. Developed by Riot Games, known for League of Legends, VALORANT, and more, it’s the team’s first free-to-play fighting game, where players can fight in a 2v2 tag-team match, reminiscent of Marvel vs. Capcom and Tekken Tag Tournament.

Indeed, the latter is the very first game I played, back when I bought a PS2 console from a UK store in 2001, along with Zone of the Enders and its iconic Metal Gear Solid 2 demo. Tekken Tag felt like a ‘greatest hits’ collection of past Tekken titles, along with its iconic ‘Tekken Bowl’ mode. But after playing 2XKO, I now want to see it remade.

Welcome to the King of Iron Fist, remade

In recent years, we’ve seen remasters and remakes to either gauge or revive interest in long-dormant gaming franchises, such as Tomb Raider and Metal Gear Solid. They’ve led to some huge successes, but Namco has seemingly never been interested in doing something similar. To note, we’ve not even seen any Tekken release on the Nintendo Switch.

This is why Bandai Namco should look into a Tekken Tag Tournament Remake, based on the 2011 HD Remaster. Using the Tekken 8 engine, it could be fantastic to see existing stages remade along with additional mechanics, such as collapsing floors that reveal other stages from previous Tekken games.

Given 2XKO’s arrival on the scene, there’s a clear appetite for tag team fighters – not least of all from me. 

A Tekken Tag Remake could also help restore some goodwill to fans, reminding players of one of the best entries in the series, but with 2026 visuals and features. 

Tekken 8, the latest entry in the series, is mired by the incessant Tekken Shop and its constant calls for you to drop cash on its character cosmetics. 2XKO is dogged with similar practices, such as the difficulties players face when it comes to unlocking new characters without paying through the nose.

The mind reels at the possibility of a modern Tekken without these sorts of excesses. 

You can’t fight change

2XKO and Tekken 8 are indicative of a pervasive industry trend. Both aim to act more like live-service products than robust, internally consistent products that stand on their own feet without tweaks and meddling from developers. 

Games in the early 2000s didn’t have this issue. You simply couldn’t bring out further patches to improve game balancing. You got what you were given, which is why I suspect games like Tekken Tag worked so well. Fighting moves didn’t change; they stayed the same as soon as the game was finished.

Players love Tekken for its fast-paced gameplay, the music, the characters, and the randomness, like Roger Jr and Tekken Ball. The return of Tekken Tag as a remake should reinforce how fighting games used to be. Simple, no post-patches, unlockable characters by finishing the game repeatedly, no Tekken Shop – just pure Iron Fist fighting, with a tag feature.

2XKO has shown me how well 2v2 fighting games can still work in 2026, but if a Tekken Tag Remake appears that harkens back to a simpler time in the genre, it could be a win-win for players and for Bandai Namco.

FAQs