Tekken 8's second closed network test took place over the weekend, giving fans of the series the chance to play a little bit of the game well before it actually launches. Bandai Namco made the entire thing available across multiple platforms, though it's probably wishing right now that it stuck to consoles only, as it turns out players have already cracked the closed network test and have been playing the game offline outside of the authorized hours.
In response, Bandai Namco issued a statement via the company's official esports Twitter page, warning those playing the cracked version of the closed network test that they may be ineligible to compete in Tekken World Tour and other official tournaments. They also pretty blatantly state that downloading or distributing the game at the moment is illegal, and that bans will be dished out to preserve the "fairness and competitive integrity of our competition".
"We have noticed that some players have accessed the Tekken 8 Closed Network Test (CNT) and played the game beyond the closed test period," reads the statement. "Such actions breach the terms of service and the Tekken World Tour code of conduct. Also, the unauthorized download or distribution of the game is illegal."
"Please note that any player found to have accessed the CNT without authorization may be deemed ineligible for the upcoming Tekken World Tour and other official tournaments. Your cooperation in preserving the fairness and competitive integrity of our competition is highly valued."
While a handful of people playing Tekken 8 outside of the closed network test doesn't sound like a huge deal, it's actually kind of bad for tournaments. Those who play the cracked version will have had a lot more time to practice with the game's characters than those who don't, throwing into question the legitimacy of any winners. Of course, this closed network test version of Tekken 8 may be a little different to the finished version, but the problem remains the same for any tournaments held before launch.
The whole controversy has actually ignited an argument amongst fighting game players, kicked off by Justin Wong who has called for an end to closed PC betas entirely. Obviously, you can't really crack a closed beta on consoles, which would fix the problem of people playing early through unscrupulous methods, but it would also mean Tekken players on PC would miss out. It's a problem that has no clear solution outside of scrapping closed betas, and will probably be a problem for future fighting game releases as well.