Colonel Sanders in Tekken? A dream long held by Tekken series director Katsuhiro Harada, but apparently, a dream that remains just that. Despite years of yearning, KFC and even Harada's own superiors have dashed his hopes.
Harada's Colonel Sanders x Tekken Request Shot Down By KFC
Harada's Dream Denied, Even by His Own Team
The idea of KFC's Colonel Sanders as a Tekken fighter has been a long-standing ambition for Harada. In a recent interview with The Gamer, he revealed his attempts to secure the Colonel's inclusion, reaching out to KFC's Japanese headquarters. The response? A resounding "no." This isn't a new revelation; Harada previously expressed this desire on his YouTube channel, recounting the less-than-enthusiastic reception his proposal received. So, for now, a Tekken 8 KFC crossover remains firmly in the realm of fantasy.
Game designer Michael Murray elaborated on the failed negotiations, explaining that KFC wasn't receptive to the idea. He noted that while other games have featured the Colonel, the specific concept of a fighting game crossover may have presented unique challenges. The anecdote highlights the complexities involved in securing such collaborations.
Harada has openly admitted his long-held dream of incorporating the Colonel into Tekken, even sharing detailed concepts he developed with Director Ikeda. He believes a Tekken Colonel Sanders could be brilliantly executed. However, he encountered resistance from KFC's marketing department, who doubted the crossover's appeal to players. His plea, included in the interview: "So if anyone from KFC reads this interview, please contact me!"
Tekken has a history of surprising guest characters—Akuma from Street Fighter, Final Fantasy's Noctis, and The Walking Dead's Negan, to name a few. But despite these successes, Harada's attempts to bring in Colonel Sanders, and even another food chain, Waffle House, have proven unsuccessful. He acknowledges the limitations in achieving these particular crossovers. Nevertheless, fans can anticipate the return of Heihachi Mishima as the game's third DLC character.
