Tekken 7 adding Zafina, new character Leroy

Tekken 7’s next season is shaping up to be a wild one. At Evo 2019, Bandai Namco revealed first details about season 3, revealing that Tekken 6’s ancient martial artist Zafina will return for Tekken 7, and that the game is getting a brand-new fighter, Leroy Smith.

But perhaps the biggest reveal was a teaser video that hinted that Metal Gear Solid’s Snake might be coming to Tekken.

Following a match between Tekken 7 players Knee and Anakin, a very brief video of a Metal Gear Solid-style codec communication appeared on screen — that video did not appear on the official Evo stream. In that codec, Snake said to Tekken producer Katsuhiro Harada, “That was some good-ass Tekken.” According to commentators Mark “MarkMan” Julio and Aris Bakhtanians, that clip was “only for the people that were here [at Evo 2019].”

While Bandai Namco hasn’t officially confirmed Snake’s appearance in Tekken 7 yet, based on the teaser — and Snake’s appearance as a fighter in the Super Smash Bros. series — we may see the character included as part of the game’s season 3 pass. Bandai Namco has locked down some impressive guest characters, with Street Fighter’s Akuma, Final Fantasy 15’s Noctis, and The Walking Dead’s Negan appearing as Tekken 7 fighters. (The company also landed The Witcher’s Geralt and Samurai Shodown’s Haohmaru for Soulcalibur 6.)

Two characters are confirmed so far for season 3 — Zafina and kung fu master Leroy Smith — and two more will arrive by spring 2020, according to a new trailer. Season 3 of Tekken 7 also promises a new feature and a new stage, among other free updates.

Update: Evo organizers said on Twitter that they, not Bandai Namco, were responsible for the Solid Snake video and that it “was done on our own, without consulting Bandai Namco.” So don’t count on Snake coming to Tekken 7 any time soon. This story has been updated to reflect the comment from Evo.