The historic Combo Breaker 2024 Tekken 8 tournament held in Schaumburg, Illinois, from May 24 to 26 has made new viewership records for the Fighting Game Community.
Data from Esports Charts show that the Tekken 8 Grand Finals drew particular attention, peaking at 103K viewers.
Esports Charts data shows how this edition marked a significant milestone, surpassing the previous record set by Combo Breaker 2019 for Mortal Kombat. The event recorded 1.1 million hours watched and an average of 33.7K viewers over 33 hours of airtime, a 28.2% improvement over the previous record holder. The extended airtime by nearly three hours contributed to this impressive increase, according to the global esports statistics provider.
The thrilling match between AK Laverez from the Philippines and ArslanAsh from Pakistan saw AK triumph in a closely contested 3:2 victory, coming back twice in the best-of-five match. This high-stakes showdown not only captivated the audience but also set a new benchmark for viewership in the series.
The prize pool for the Tekken 8 tournament was $22,330, with the winner taking home $9,378 and the runner-up earning $5,359. Pakistan showcased its talent with two players on the podium, as Farzeen secured third place and a prize of $3,126.
Esports Charts noted that the of the key factors contributing to the high viewership was the involvement of prominent content creators who live-streamed the event. Influential figures such as brawlpro_, maximilian_dood, sodam소담형xiaoyu샤오유, and avoidingthepuddle drew thousands of additional viewers thanks to their loyal fanbases in the fighting game community.
Combo Breaker 2024’s Tekken 8 competition also played a crucial role in the Tekken World Tour 2024, an annual esports season for Tekken tournaments officially sponsored by Bandai Namco Entertainment. This year marked the launch circuit for Tekken 8, whose hype has rejuvenated the franchise and injected new life into the fighting game genre, which had seen declining fortunes in recent years.
In the broader context, Combo Breaker 2024 T8 ranked as the sixth-most popular Tekken event ever. This achievement follows the EVO Japan 2024 Tekken 8 Finals, which became the most popular Tekken tournament ever held in Japan and the fifth-most popular globally. The success of these events highlights the resurgence of interest in competitive fighting games, particularly Tekken.
The English and Japanese audiences played a significant role in boosting the viewership numbers, contributing approximately 95.83% of the overall watch time. The fact that Combo Breaker 2024 was held in the US, a region with a strong following for fighting games, was instrumental in achieving these high viewership figures.
Esports Charts noted that Tekken 8 competitions have consistently set new standards for what competitive fighting games can achieve in terms of viewership. With three of the six most popular Tekken events occurring since 2023, and four of the top six since 2022, there is optimism that Tekken 8’s first full season will establish it as a leading title in the fighting game community, both in terms of fan following and audience reach.
More esports statistics can be found at the Esports Charts website at escharts.com.
