Panda and Kuma in 'Tekken 7' (Photo : YouTube/ BandaiNamco)
"Tekken 7" has been out for arcades in Japan since March 2015 but the game continues to add new characters to its roster. The game is now launching for consoles in North America next year and it will have even more playable characters with the new addition of both Kuma and Panda.
The announcement was made during this year's "King of the Iron Fist" tournament. A presentation was made for the audience and hosted by producer Katsuhiro Harada.
Kuma has always been loyal to Heihachi Mishima and the Mishima Zaibatsu company, going so far as to to protect the company even when Heihachi was believed defeated and dead. Kuma found Heihachi again after the former was defeated by Jin Kazama and is now a member of the Tekken Force.
Panda, on the other hand, is described in the official website as a loyal pet and bodyguard to Ling Xiaoyu. Unfortunately for Panda, however, Xiaoyu goes missing after she journeys off to find Jin and Panda must now travel out to find her and bring her back to safety.
A trailer was also released, showcasing how the two bear characters fight. In previous games they have mostly performed the same way and even share moves with Jack-7 and his older models. The trailer does not clarify if they will have different move sets this time around.
Two new characters are not the only additions to the game, Dual Shockers reported. Also announced is an online tournament mode that will allow a player and seven others to participate and watch other matches. Single and double bracket elimination is also confirmed and both text and voice chat are supported in this mode.
No official launch date has yet been announced but "Tekken 7" is scheduled for early 2017. It will launch for the PS4, Xbox One and PC via Steam. Bandai Namco has yet to confirm if a port for the Nintendo Switch will be released in the future.
