Namco Bandai made an announcement during this weekend’s San Diego Comic Con that they will be collaborating with mixed martial arts apparel company TapouT to bring out special shirt designs for both in-game as customizations in TEKKEN 6 and purchasable items at retail for fans to wear in real life! Check out the link below for the full press release.
Namco Bandai Games AMERICA InC. AND TAPOUT
TEAM UP to deliver fierce GEAR FOR TEKKEN® 6
Premier Mixed Martial Arts Apparel Company Will Create Exclusive Retail and In-Game
T-Shirts for Top Fighting Game Franchise
SANTA CLARA/GRAND TERRACE, Calif., (July 23, 2009) – Leading video game publisher and developer NAMCO BANDAI Games America Inc. and premier mixed-martial arts apparel, gear and lifestyle brand, TapouT, today announced a multi-year partnership to merge popular TapouT fashions with the iconic fighting experience of TEKKEN 6, the latest installment of the top-selling fighting video game franchise. The agreement brings two of the most-recognized fighting lifestyle brands together to provide fans with an all encompassing entertainment experience.
As part of the agreement, TapouT will design five unique co-branded t-shirts which will appear in addition to the myriad of in-game customization options for characters in TEKKEN 6. In addition to tricking out their TEKKEN 6 fighters, fans will be able to sport their own TEKKEN 6 TapouT gear, as co-branded t-shirts will also become available for fans to purchase and wear. Available in five designs for men and women, the TEKKEN 6 TapouT branded t-shirts will be released in September through TapouT’s network of specialty retailers and on their website www.tapout.com
“TEKKEN 6 and TapouT fans share a deep-rooted passion for the mixed-martial-arts lifestyle,” said Makoto Iwai, executive vice president and chief operating officer at NAMCO BANDAI Games America Inc. “This partnership will bring TapouT’s signature style into the world of Tekken, giving new experiences to video game enthusiasts and MMA fans alike.”
“TapouT is excited to partner with NAMCO BANDAI Games America to continue to bring the mixed-martial arts movement into the mainstream with one of the most successful video game franchises of all time,” said Dan “Punkass” Caldwell, TapouT Co-Founder and CEO.
“As we look to enhance our brand visibility in new and innovative ways, the idea to fuse TapouT and TEKKEN 6 was the perfect approach to introduce new apparel to our core fan base,” added Marc Kreiner, TapouT President.
This agreement marks NAMCO BANDAI’s first co-branding initiative with a major apparel brand for in-game and offline items. TEKKEN 6 will be released this fall for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, the PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system, and the PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) system.
A must-have for Tekken aficionados, TEKKEN 6 sees the return of many familiar faces as well as new characters to create the largest line-up the series has ever seen. With a growing roster of fighters, robust character customization features, online gameplay and a new action-packed Scenario Campaign mode, TEKKEN 6 will be the best “King of Iron Fist Tournament” yet.
For more information on TEKKEN 6, please visit: www.tekken.com or www.namcobandaigames.com.
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About NAMCO BANDAI Games America Inc.
NAMCO BANDAI Games America Inc., is a leading interactive entertainment software publisher and developer based in Santa Clara, CA. The company is a part of the NAMCO BANDAI group of companies known for creating and publishing many of the industry’s top video game franchises including the PAC-MAN®, SOULCALIBUR®, Naruto™ and Tekken® brands. For more information about NAMCO BANDAI Games America Inc., and our products log onto http://www.namcobandaigames.com. TEKKEN®6&©1994-2009 NAMCO BANDAI Games Inc. All rights reserved.
“PlayStation”, “PLAYSTATION”, “PS” Family logo and “PSP” are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.
Memory Stick Duo™ may be required (sold separately). Xbox, Xbox 360, and Xbox Live are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries.
Press Release © 2009 NAMCO BANDAI Games America Inc.
About TapouT
TapouT is the world`s leading mixed-martial arts apparel, gear and lifestyle brand on the market today. TapouT started as a vision by Co-Founder Charles “Mask” Lewis Jr., and has since become a pioneer of the MMA movement and a $100 million empire. Representing some of the biggest MMA superstars including Chuck Liddell, Frank Shamrock, Thiago Alves and Anthony Johnson, TapouT produces the hottest apparel for men, women and children. Their distinctive, authentic logo graces everything from clothing, accessories, and gear, to nutrition products and a magazine. TapouT is also the exclusive apparel sponsor for Spike TV`s “The Ultimate Fighter” through 2011.
For millions of fans worldwide, the TapouT lifestyle inspires those to reach their goals and know that anything is possible if they “Simply Believe.”
SDTEKKEN.COM - TEKKEN News Resource! 
FUCKING GAY MAN !
god i hate that Mixed martial arts shit, UFC in the 90’s was mixed marshal arts, todays shit wiht all the rules is fucking gay.
it might as well be called GAY SWEATY SEX.
MMA isnt what it use to be.
youtube UFC GREATEST KNOCK OUTS to see what im talking about.
lol
lol
MMA, more like SDP.
Sweaty Dick Punching.
I don’t like it
Just seems like in game advertising for something no one really cares about… I never thought Tekken would do something like this
agreed
yep
WHAT!?!? Something I never saw coming that’s for sure… Tekken and Tapout??? Hmmmmmmmmmm… Whatever blows your skirt up I guess
Well..i think its cool. It just means that a company like tapout would recognize Tekken as a bad ass video game that can carry out the “Tapout” logo. They did not choose street fighter or virtua fighter to carry their logos for them and it will not simply look good. Tekken is based mostly on real Martial arts and fighting moves. So i guess Tap out and Tekken can go together.
LOL. Who the fuck wears tapout. Give me real tekken Ts, from bamco. I know they would look 1000 times less douchey! I forsee a failed launched of unloved Ts.
man im with you there bro. this is fucking retarded, when ever i see tap out, all i eve see in my head are those faggs that think making them wear a tap out shirt, they are already down with the MMA crowd or some shit.
like HEY ! I BELONG !.
fucking retarded i just wanted the T6 poster on the back with JIN/KAZ and TEKKEN 6 on the front i dont want that tap out shit on my shirt.
All I’ll say is: Ling looks hawt in this.
Everything is unexpected with tekken nowadays. First they pop up at comic con and now they team up with tapout. I’d rather see tekken and megan fox team up :p
Was there a “Worship Megan Fox” memo sent out that I didn’t get? What’s with the Megan Fox craze that’s goin on now? … Sure she’s attractive, but people talk about her like she’s the Messiah.
Yea she isn’t that hot! I think our society wants to train another Brittany Spears! To love her to bring her up to turn her into a asst.crack whore trainee. Only time will tell
dude, you should google “megan fox toe thumbs” and you’ll rightly change your statement. lol
Bitch ass cry babys
-_-
Who. Cares. If namco makes a buck or two off this, and decides it’s enough to make tekken 7, then I’m all for it.
Tek7 is going to happen either way. Hopefully it won’t take so long between cab to console!!!
Don’t ever think that any game is guaranteed. Look at VF5R.
More sales = more chances. You guys are all missing the point here – Tapout is very mainstream. Tekken NEEDS to go mainstream. Keeping Tekken in its own little circle will eventually kill it. If Tekken keeps selling, we will keep seeing it. If Tekken doesn’t sell, we won’t be seeing it.
I can’t stand MMA(UFC)- it’s so damn white-trash. Just look at that guy’s name: Dan “Punkass” Caldwell- no class whatsoever.
cool
Why isn’t Blind Ghost banned yet?
because your moms been giving it to me. im still here because she wants me to be here, thank your mom for me.
UFC is fun to watch, more gear is always good^^ go namco!
Better than that gay ass anime bullshit costumes that look like they should be in SCIV. This is different, but more realistic.
Wow, so much negativity. Its extra customisations, you don’t need to use them. Seems like a fairly appropriate pairing to me – major MMA clothing company with major fighting game title.
Holy cow! Noodalls says it all! It’s MORE customizations. Should Namco get more real life apparell I would be happy not pissed. If you don’t like it, don’t use it…
Will the real shirts just be tap out shirts with the tekken logo pasted on top? I was thinking it would be something cool like shirts with characters on it. Something like armor king kicking the living shit out of bob with skulls and shit in the background. I can see king,armor king,marduk, and bryan wearing it; but why my xiaoyu? Doesn’t fit her personality. If it puts tekken out there for more people to know about it, cool. I personally however, won’t be using those customs.
Yes, go NAMCO BANDAI!
The shirts/in game outfits look REALLY good.
I don’t know why people are complaining. The more stuff the better.
well theres potentiality and reality to consider…”more” can potentially be “better”, but in reality what that content is really determines if more is better…If theres loads of useless content then more is bad…For example early on I was glad to see that Namco had been adding more characters(theyd started with 2, then added another, then another, and then 2 more), but they seemed to be coming so quickly i doubted any of the characters would be polished.(Whether i was right or wrong about that is debatable.)…Any Tekken fan would welcome “more” ; i know i do. But something tells me the content’s gonna get more and more ridiculous. Something tells me that Namco will just add random stuff to try to top the previous installment of Tekken, or do stuff like this to “expand their market”..They most likely did this for business and not necessarily because they thought fans wanted Tapout content in the game…The biggest innovation i think theyve made so far was the Bound system; I can do without item moves…When it comes to new content im always open for more arenas.
you know damn well if you could get a shirt like this youd wear it… i would
The shirts at con actually look pretty good. They’re not just made for Tekken fans but also Tapout/MMA/UFC fans as well.
SELLOUTS!!! NAMCO IS FOLLOWING A DISTINCT PATTERN. FIRST MICROSOFT. NOW, TAPOUT. NEXT, SEAN JOHN.
hit me up at http://kickinthenuts.wordpress.com/
LOL..”Next,Sean John”?…I would lose all respect for them if they did that
Stop talking out your ass. Its called: “EXPANDING YOUR MARKET.” More people buying product, More money to company, which gives money for R&D and keeping staff happy with what they earned and keeps inclined to stay on the team to bring you more and better products and in good quality as well… God, people these days can be so dumb sometimes it surprises me Darwin’s theory hasnt even worked on them yet…
amen. Some people act like Namco is their best friend
Wow all those pictures only go to prove how awesome the graphics are; I’ve never seen such life like everyday irl t-shirts
o_o
Namco did a good job in teaming up with tap out, it will increase Tekken’s popularity and reputation as well, and the T shirt doesnt make the game.
Is this the big surprise markman.
Why are you guys complaining tekken is trying to attract people to the series and give them more customization options. Who gives a shit if you like tap out or not. You think this game should be catered to any individual? no its about variety I like when they put stuff in the game that adds variety even if I don’t like it. And besides the more people play tekken the better the series will get because standards will raise just like with halo or starcraft. More fans = more money for namco = better tekken. If you don’t agree your a douche.
I don’t think the shirts are all that bad.
I’m glad people see why they really did this, it may look gimmicky but really, you cant just make a game, release it out there, and expect it to be a success. It needs hype. The fighting game scene is strong in one place, but it can be weak in another. So, you find other ways to get people to buy the game in those areas by advertising, and promoting something that attracts people from other as in “oh! you like this? (TapouT/MMA) well try this too! (Tekken is a martial arts fighting game)” There is logic behind the decision and if a company like TapouT loves tekken and approaches namco about it saying they will benefit? they’ll wonder why and think about it, not just say “OK!” ugh some of the remarks just kill me.
These shirts and stuff look realy cool I actually really like them. It looks best on bryan though!
It’s hilarious how many people hate on MMA.
In terms of people saying “look back at the old MMA! that’s the real stuff” arguement, haven’t you noticed that the times change with the rules that are in play, at least for the UFC. Back in the beginning, the rules were fixed for BJJ fighters to win (Royce). No rounds, gis allowed (even choking…Royce vs. Shamrock?). Then around the middle, the tide changed from BJJ champs to champs where their base was Kickboxing/Muay Thai, and now it seems the wrestling base is pulling ahead. But also, for those that seriously believe that MMA hasn’t evolved, please get your head out of your ass and seriously look at the old videos and your arguement will crumble. People then only trained, mostly, in one martial art only. Who remembers the boxer that showed up in the ring WITH ONLY ONE BOXING GLOVE ON and had no idea how to fight off the ground? Now, it’s just about two and up. Great examples are Anderson Silva, who took up Taekwondo earlier then moved to Muay Thai, or current Light Heavy Champ Lyoto Machida, who is trained in Sumo, BJJ, and Karate. People have to cross train in styles as to not be stifled by someone else’s. Guess who used to preach about cross training styles? Bruce Lee, considered to be one of the grandfathers of the philosophy behind MMA.
As for those who say that it’s all for the white-trash or redneck viewers and the lack of class, please tell all the PRIDE/DREAM fans over in the Far East, and the Sambo/Judo/MMA fans over in the Eastern European countries. I’m sure they fit the bill for being white trash fanatics. XD For every 10 classy fighters who take it seriously, there’s always one guy that will take up the opposite spectrum to get attention.
But…for the record, as big of a fan as I am of MMA and martial arts in general, I actually dislike the notion of having Tapout gear in the game…ALONG WITH THE CRAPPY ANIME OUTFITS THAT MOST OF THESE CHARACTERS WOULDN’T WEAR AT ALL…*looks over at Lars and his bad hair…*
SCREW TAP OUT UFC IS 100 TIMES BETTER, IT WOULD BE BETTER IF THEY DID A PARTNERSHIP WITH UFC
One of the Namco guys at con told me that Charles Lewis Jr. (one of the founders of TapOut) was a huge Tekken fan but since he passed back in March, the collab between TapOut/NBGA/Tekken was sort of done in honor of him. Or at least I think it was.
I’m not a big tapout fan but that shirt looks really hot on Xiaoyu. *drools
its nice!!!! i like that, many tekken players will enjoy it.
thanks sdtekken for the update!!
More power on your site!
[…] first day of the event played host to a special press conference where it was revealed that TEKKEN 6 and TapouT would be joining forces to bring a TEKKEN line of clothing from TapouT this September! Those same clothing designs will […]
The information here is truly amazing. I look forward to viewing more articles like this in the future. i like the UFC!
Fight predictions…
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