Tekken fans beg producer to include Tekken Waffle House stage, producer attempting to appease eager fans

Tekken director and producer Katsuhiro Harada has been requested to include a Waffle House stage in Tekken 8, and he is trying to appease fans.

Where did the request for a Tekken Waffle House stage originate?

Over on X (formerly Twitter), a user named @backendtechdev requested Harada to create a Tekken Waffle House stage, with many supporting this request. Soon, Harada asked why he should do so, and was quickly provided with answers.

Lenny Hart talk part 2 !!! https://t.co/jrMuXUVvPK

— Katsuhiro Harada (@Harada_TEKKEN) March 30, 2024

The majority of X users said that Waffle Houses are restaurants where employees are trained and allowed to defend themselves if customers attack staffers, as well as saying drunkards can be found there, brawling with each other after bars close in the dead of night. One user went into detail, explaining that Waffle Houses were open 24/7, even during natural disasters like hurricanes, have cheap food as well as a unique way to order hash browns, and a jukebox with waffle-themed versions of popular songs.

After looking through the replies to his post, Harada thanked the commenters for explaining why a Tekken Waffle House stage needed to be created. He then went on to point out that Waffle House owns the trademark and rights to the restaurant and that a stage themed around the restaurant may not be included if they reject the producer’s proposal. Fans have responded by either encouraging Waffle House to accept the proposal or saying they could rename the Tekken Waffle House stage to something else, similar to how anime series included McDonald’s in their shows by calling fast food restaurants WcDonald’s.

Thanks for the explanation guys.
And I understand that many people are requesting it.
However, I think you are missing one important point.
The restaurant has both the trademark and the rights to the restaurant, so if the restaurant chain's headquarters refuses to accept my… https://t.co/tnvss5w09j

— Katsuhiro Harada (@Harada_TEKKEN) March 30, 2024

Who is Katsuhiro Harada?

A producer and director for much of the Tekken series, Katsuhiro Harada has been working on the series since its inception in 1994 and is a well-known and beloved figure in the fight game’s fanbase. He has even lent his voice to Tekken characters Forest Law, Marshall Law, Yoshimitsu, and Kunimitsu. He also leads the fighting game esports division of publisher Bandai Namco and is also the general manager of the company.