Tekken World Tour 2024 gains major commercial sponsorships

The Tekken World Tour is coming back – and it also brings with it major commercial sponsorships!

BANDAI NAMCO, Tekken’s publisher, announced its return – this time as the debut worldwide tournament for Tekken 8.

Chipotle Mexican Grill will be a presenting partner for the 2024 EVO (Evolution Championship Series) in Las Vegas, Nevada – a sponsorship that had already been done since last year.

An in-app integration when ordering from the Chipotle app has also been released recently, giving Tekken players the chance to earn 500 Tekken Coins by typing a code for in-app and online food purchases.

Esports Insider reported that Chipotle will have an on-site Community Lounge at the event, and it will featuring “Chipotle Extra Match” segments during the live broadcast, providing coverage opportunities for players who would not otherwise be featured on-broadcast.

ESI also reported that the Chipotle Challenger Series for Tekken 8, the first-ever branded tournament on the PlayStation Tournaments platform. It will be broadcast live on the PlayStation Esports Twitch and YouTube on May 4th with the lion’s share of the US$20,000 prize pool and free Chipotle for a year.

Chipotle Chief Brand Officer Chris Brandt told Esports Insider, “The amazing reception we received from the Fighting Game Community in 2023, notably Evo attendees cheering for our ads when they aired during the competition, has inspired us to double down on our investment in FGC.” 

He adds, “Gaming is a force shaping culture, so it’s imperative that we show up in the right way for this passionate community by providing real value and access to exclusive experiences.”

Combat sports apparel maker Venum and controller manufacturer Victrix have also been announced as commercial partners.

Venum will be releasing Tekken-inspired clothing, with apparel inspired by designs from Tekken characters such as Marshall Law, Paul Phoenix and Jin Kazama. Meanwhile Victrix will create a series of eight special edition Tekken 8 fight sticks.

The Tekken World Tour formally starts on April 13th during EVO Japan, the first of all LAN events for the Tekken World Tour. Master+ (the highest Tekken competitive qualification), Master, Challenge and Dojo events will be contested and players will earn points that will determine their rank on the worldwide leaderboards.

The best from these leaderboards will get a spot to advance to the Global Finals – considered the Super Bowl of competitive Tekken.

EVO Japan is expected to see the best Tekken 8 players compete at two Master+ qualifying events in April.

The Tekken World Tour is the highest tier of competition in Tekken, a fighting game franchise created in 1994. The game’s newest iteration, Tekken 8, is set to be released in late January 2023 and replaces Tekken 7 as the title played during the World Tour.