Despite Katsuhiro Harada, Tekken series director, having a long-standing desire to include Colonel Sanders in the game – a dream he's held for years – it appears this crossover won't be happening. This is despite Harada's attempts to secure the rights, which have been rejected by both KFC and his own superiors.
Harada's Colonel Sanders x Tekken Dream Denied
Harada's pursuit of a KFC collaboration, as revealed in a recent interview with The Gamer, involved directly contacting KFC Japan. However, the request was ultimately denied. This rejection wasn't a recent development; Harada previously expressed his desire for the Colonel as a guest fighter on his YouTube channel, only to be met with disapproval from his own team. This suggests that a Tekken 8 crossover with KFC is highly unlikely in the near future.
Game designer Michael Murray elaborated on the situation, explaining that KFC wasn't receptive to Harada's proposal. He speculated that the potential conflict of having Colonel Sanders fight might have been a contributing factor. The difficulty in securing such collaborations was also highlighted.
Harada's enthusiasm for the Colonel's inclusion in Tekken was significant, with him stating that he and Director Ikeda had developed a compelling concept for the character. However, KFC's marketing department deemed it unlikely to resonate with players, leading to the rejection. Harada even issued a public plea in the interview, urging KFC to reconsider.
Despite this setback, the Tekken franchise has a history of successful guest character appearances, including Akuma (Street Fighter), Noctis (Final Fantasy), and Negan (The Walking Dead). However, Harada's attempts to include another food chain, Waffle House, have also been unsuccessful. While the Colonel Sanders crossover remains a pipe dream, fans can anticipate the return of Heihachi Mishima as the game's third DLC character.
