Red Bull Gaming Tekken Academy launches this Thursday

Tekken 7 specialist Hoa “Anakin” Luu will be rolling out a six-week training camp for the next generation of Tekken players in the fighting game community. Courtesy of Red Bull Gaming, Luu’s Tekken Academy seeks to cover basics and advanced fighting techniques. To supplement training, Anakin will also provide analysis from fellow Tekken specialists and give “homework assignments” to encourage training.

FGC Tekken Pro Anakin

Anakin’s curated courses are a rarity in the fighting game community. Professional players are streaming more than ever but seldom offer workshops or training for fans. Now, prospective players have a chance to learn from North America’s best for the better part of a decade. Tekken Academy’s use of the Red Bull YouTube channel reaches outside the usual player base and private confines of Discord. In the series, Anakin intends to cover techniques that both new players and professional players can add to their arsenal.

Community, passion, and @TEKKEN.

We sat down with @tk_anakin to talk about his arcade days and his goals for Class In Session: Anakin’s TEKKEN Academy, beginning this week on Red Bull Gaming YouTube.

Read: https://t.co/u2nMyyYZr0 pic.twitter.com/FLJ50D9njg

— Red Bull Gaming (@redbullgaming) July 20, 2020

Red Bull Gaming Tekken Academy

The program, which debuts on Red Bull’s YouTube channel this Thursday, covers tactics and concepts ranging from the fundamentals to advanced mechanics. This will also give players a chance to veer into a veteran’s mind to understand competitive mechanics and develop a pro mindset. Fans who dabbled with fighting games like Tekken now have an avenue to transition from casual to competitive play. Too often, tutorial videos on YouTube are lacking and the days of arcade networking are long gone.

This is an excellent development for the FGC, especially as entry to the competitive scene becomes hostile. This also means the launch of Tekken 8 is not anytime soon. Even though the game is five years old, Tekken 7 enjoys a healthy player base and a robust community. With the expertise of an accomplished pro combined with the production value of Red Bull, there is a lot to look forward to over the next few weeks.

For Tekken 7, Bandai Namco hopes to generate some traction out of the 2015 game. Especially as the Tekken World Tour continues to face challenges. The announcement of the 2020 season is one of the many casualties of COVID-19 on the esports scene. As of this writing, the Tekken World Tour has yet to host any form of ranking event.

Depending on the success of Tekken Academy, it could inspire a trend for other esports teams to use their players to interact with the player base. As the FGC struggles because of Evo’s cancelation and Du “Nuckledu” Dang’s retirement, this could serve as a moment of healing. Should Tekken Academy prove a success, expect other premier FGC titles such as Street Fighter V and Mortal Kombat 11 to follow in the months to come.

Written by Danny Howard