Tekken 8 Executive Game Director Katsuhiro Harada has offered a helping hand to a fan whose brother died unexpectedly shortly after the game's release, explaining how to preserve an AI-controlled “ghost” of the brother's Tekken character.
Harada responded (on Twitter) to a Reddit thread by a Tekken fan named Melodic_Insect1356. In this Reddit thread, the user explained that his 26-year-old brother had recently “suddenly passed away in his room.” He explained that his brother “was a huge Tekken fan and had put in so many hours of grinning to climb the ranks.”
“We had hoped that at some point we would be able to attend local meetings here in Texas as brothers, but unfortunately we will never get that chance.”
Can AI ghosts be permanently saved? My brother died suddenly… out of r/Tekken
But his brother's time spent grinding had spawned a ghost: essentially an AI replica of his playstyle, mimicking his strengths and weaknesses. Melodic_Insect's concern was that the ghost would eventually be deleted after being inactive for too long: “I would still like to play against my 'brother' every now and then. Even if it's a bad imitation…”
The post was brought to Harada's attention on Twitter and obviously earned his sympathy, as he came back just hours later with advice he received directly from Tekken 8's (non-executive) game director, Kohei Ikeda: “My deepest condolences . If you download and save your brother's ghost locally, you can still play against him even if the data is lost from the server.”
Harada continued, “Please let me know if I can help you.”
I have personally sent message cards and other messages at many ceremonies. If it helps someone feel better, please say so [Melodic_Insect] to reach me.”
My deepest condolences[ If you download and save your brother’s ghost locally, you can still play against it anytime even if the data is lost from the server. ( from my staff @nkt_dreamer )]And please let me know if I can help you. I personally sent: https://t.co/pSn3aL7DECFebruary 23, 2024
It's a sweet gesture from Harada, tearfully recalling the famous story of the son who found his son Dad's racing spirit in an old Xbox game. Harada's message also reached its destination. On Reddit, Melodic_Insect wrote that he sent personal thank-you messages to Harada and Ikeda for their help in keeping his brother's memory alive.
In his original post, Melodic_Insect wrote: “Many thanks to Mr. Harada and the entire Tekken team for giving me and my brother one last great month of joy together. The last I saw him the night before was playing that game. I'm glad he was able to play it before he had to leave.
