Tekken's oldest community, Tekken Zaibatsu, is shutting down

After two decades of bringing the Tekken community together, the Tekken Zaibatsu forum is shutting down. First launched at the turn of the millennium, the site has served as a gathering point for professional players, tournament organizers, and new players alike. 

A good-bye thread was published to the front page of the website late on December 3rd. Castel, the site’s lead administrator, explained the reasoning behind the shut-down.

“I personally have been checked out from the scene for some time now, and I just don't have the time or desire anymore to keep the site going. I suspect by now most of the conversation has moved on to social media platforms, but this serves as a notice to wrap things up on Tekken Zaibatsu.” he wrote. 

Tekken Zaibatsu will soon be mothballed. (Picture: Tekken Zaibatsu)

He further encouraged posters to save any media they want to keep from the Zaibatsu. A definite date was not shared, but Castel plans to shut down the Zaibatsu either by the end of December or at the beginning of 2021.

(Picture: Namco) 

In addition to hosting tens of thousands of discussion threads, Tekken Zaibatsu was famous for its user-created tutorials and new player guides. Tekken is infamously difficult for new players to learn, so the loss of the Zaibatsu wiki could greatly impact the new player experience.

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Several Tekken icons appeared in the thread paying respects to both Castel and the community. 

“My love to all and everyone that helped make TEKKEN what it is today. A special thanks to you Castel for all you've done for TEKKEN fans around the world,” said Mark “MarkMan” Julio, a well-known commentator and esports entrepreneur.

“Wow, this was completely out of the blue. I spent my teenage years on these forums in T6 and learned the game with this forum for (Tekken Tag Tournament 2.) I'm gonna miss this forum a lot, thank you so much to everyone and the staff for keeping it alive during those times.” added Fergus, a top Irish player and content creator.