Succession star Brian Cox partnered with Bandai Namco to retell the events of the Tekken series ahead of Tekken 8’s launch later this month - and the internet is both confused and delighted by it.
Basically, eight mainline installments might scare players who are looking to hop into the legendary fighting game franchise this late into its existence. It’s a lot of required reading, but thankfully, Cox has us covered with five minutes of storytelling that explains why these characters can't stop throwing each other off cliffs.
It’s best if you don’t ask why or how this collaboration came to be and instead just take it for what it is as Logan Roy himself recounts the highlights from various iconic locations. That’s what most of the internet has done, at least.
“So surreal to see an actor like Brian Cox say things like ‘the devil gene’ and ‘the king of iron fist tournament,’” Matt McMuscles said on X/Twitter, “but I kinda love it.”
“I thought they made Brian Cox a playable fighter and almost lost my fucking mind,” Matt Post said.
“This is the best kind of video game marketing, where it’s like word association to come up with an idea,” GameSpot's Tamoor Hussain joked. “Tekken. Bad dads. Succession. Logan Roy. BRIAN COX. OH MY GOD WE’VE GOT IT.”
Suffice it to say, the internet is have a good time with the extremely unlikely combination of classically trained Shakespearean actor Brian Cox and Tekken. See more delighted reactions below.
Logan Roy should be in Tekken. Actually, there should just be a Succession fighting game.
— i’m regular gita (@xoxogossipgita) January 9, 2024
Brian Cox reading the script to this https://t.co/hcnz2wsMPV pic.twitter.com/Hr4y4l4DFS
— OldManSakaki (@OldManSakaki) January 9, 2024
"when Kazuyah was just five years old, his father, Heihachi, feared the boy possessed the devil gene which is passed down through generations, to the bearer's children" pic.twitter.com/qH7mG6naw5
— frasier looking at video games (@frasier_looking) January 9, 2024
Wow did not have 'choose to announce your game release at the same exact moment that Brian Cox narrates the entire story of Tekken from a CGI volcano" on my 2024 bingo but them's the breaks
— Sam Barlow ? IMMORTALITY (@mrsambarlow) January 9, 2024
I know Brian Cox was confused as hell by this script and asked for 1.5x the agreed-upon rate to read it pic.twitter.com/Oq4ghji3oJ
— Q. Anthony Ali (@NobleQAli) January 9, 2024
Cox’s bout in the world of Tekken is far from the first time a celebrity showed up to promote a video game. Some recent examples include Supernatural and The Boys star Jensen Ackles’ promotional trailer for 2023’s Atomic Heart. There’s also the time Mark Hamill returned to his sci-fi home with a trailer for Star Wars Jedi: Survivor. The Boys’ Karl Urban also helped promote Armored Core IV: Fires of Rubicon with his own video last year.
Tekken 8 launches for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X | S on January 26.
Michael Cripe is a freelance contributor with IGN. He started writing in the industry in 2017 and is best known for his work at outlets such as The Pitch, The Escapist, OnlySP, and Gameranx.
Be sure to give him a follow on Twitter @MikeCripe.
