EVO Japan 2024 reached its final days with the main announcements and tournaments largely complete, but the event still delivered plenty of arcade news. Bandai Namco brought a surprising Tekken 8 cabinet setup, Street Fighter 6 Type Arcade was playable, and exA-Arcadia shared an update on a long-awaited fighting-game revival.
The show also demonstrated how strongly older arcade titles remain connected to the fighting-game community. Alongside the major competitions, visitors took part in unusual side events featuring Taiko no Tatsujin, Money Puzzle Exchanger and Fighting Vipers.
The event’s final hours were not entirely smooth. Several EVO channels were banned from Twitch, while exA-Arcadia cancelled its planned closing stream because of an unreliable venue connection. The company did, however, communicate its final major update through social media.
Tekken 8 appears in Japanese arcades, with an important catch
Bandai Namco’s otherwise consumer-focused booth included a small but notable arcade display: Tekken 8 arcade cabinets!
At first glance, the setup suggested that Tekken 8 might finally be receiving a conventional arcade release. That is not what was shown, however. The machines used Grigio cabinets, the same general cabinet family associated with Tekken 7 Fated Retribution Round 2 and recent versions of Gundam Extreme Versus, but they were configured to run the existing PC edition purchased through Steam.
This means the display should not be treated as a full arcade edition for the wider arcade market. Tekken 7 itself had only limited exposure in the United States, including testing and selected operators such as Round1, while Europe did not receive its arcade versions.
Bandai Namco is nevertheless preparing to trial the same Tekken 8 cabinet concept at its Namco arcade in Sugamo. As these cabinets can also soon be found on trial at an actual Namco arcade in Sugamo, players will pay for time rather than individual credits. Prices start at 1,200 yen per hour.
If the experiment performs well, other Bandai Namco facilities in Japan could receive similar installations where suitable space is available. Its prospects in other territories are less clear.
The approach follows a comparable test from the previous year, when Bandai Namco trialled cabinets running the Steam version of Tekken 7 both at an operating location and at Japan’s Amusement Expo in November. Recent Tekken arcade releases have been costly for operators while delivering diminishing returns, and PC-based arcade hardware has already become common. Those factors help explain the company’s change in direction.
In the official Tekken 8 tournament, Chikurin took the championship.
Street Fighter 6 Type Arcade remains a centrepiece
Unlike Tekken 8, Street Fighter 6 already has a dedicated arcade version. Taito’s Street Fighter 6 Type Arcade launched in Japan and was also made available in the United States through Round1US late in 2023.
The game was playable at EVO Japan in Viewlix cabinets, as shown by Street Fighter 6 Type Arcade at the show. Visitors who played could also receive a special NESICA IC card while supplies lasted.
On the broader game release, Capcom revealed Akuma in a trailer, including the character’s arrival in the next update. There is no confirmed timing for Akuma in the Type Arcade version yet; the arcade edition had only recently added Ed.
The home-console and PC tournament produced another major result, with MenaRD winning the championship for a second time.
The Fallen Angels Revenge moves closer to release
One of exA-Arcadia’s longest-listed projects is Daraku Tenshi, known in English as The Fallen Angels. Psikyo produced a mostly complete version in very small numbers; fewer than 100 boards are believed to exist, and the surviving release includes unfinished characters.
exA-Arcadia is completing the project for modern arcade hardware under the name The Fallen Angels Revenge.
The lengthy development period is linked to the game’s animation workload. Each character requires roughly 900 frames or more, while the existing sprites are being redrawn in high definition and unfinished characters are being completed. That work has taken time alongside exA-Arcadia’s other arcade projects.
There are signs that development is continuing, with progress still advancing on the game. A release may now be closer than it once appeared, although no specific date was provided.
Retro arcade games add colour to the side events
EVO Japan’s headline competitions focus on current fighting games played on consoles and PCs, including modern versions of titles that began in arcades. The side-event programme is more varied, creating room for older games and genres outside the main tournament schedule.
An unofficial Taiko no Tatsujin competition was one such example. A report from the location-test community confirmed that the contest was played on a genuine arcade cabinet rather than a home conversion.
The most unexpected side tournament centred on the Neo Geo puzzle game Money Puzzle Exchanger. A young schoolgirl, whose parents own the Shooting Star game centre in Ichihara in Tokyo Bay, defeated a field that included numerous experienced players. The result attracted attention from English-language media, including The Guardian.
Fans of Sega’s Fighting Vipers also held their own championship. With no standalone version available for newer consoles, competitors used the home release featured in the Sega-related spin-off Judgment, as reported in coverage of the tournament setup.
What EVO Japan 2024 says about arcades
The event offered a useful snapshot of the current arcade landscape. Street Fighter 6 continues to receive a proper location-based version, while Tekken 8 is being explored through a time-based cabinet model using its existing PC release. At the same time, obscure and classic games remain capable of drawing committed competition when enthusiasts have access to the right hardware.
For readers considering an arcade setup at home, RETROCADE’s Arcade Machine Buying Guide explains the main cabinet choices. Browse the arcade machines range, compare space-saving bartop arcades, or explore upright cabinets for a more traditional format. Owners planning upgrades or restoration can also find relevant arcade parts.
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