First unleashed to arcade halls on 9 December 1994, Bandai Namco’s 3D fighting game behemoth Tekken has become one of the biggest powerhouses in gaming.

The series’ technical combat coupled with its stable of majestic fighters has earned it widespread critical acclaim, while racking up sales of nearly 40 million units according to VGChartz.

Now, the mighty Tekken has picked up two Guinness World Records titles further recognising the series’ longevity and enduring appeal.

Following the release of Tekken 7 in arcades on 18 March 2015 (plus the updated Tekken 7: Fated Retribution on 5 July 2016), GWR has identified the series as having the Longest-running videogame storyline without any substantial development gaps or reboots.

Major franchises such as Prince of Persia,Tomb Raider, DOOM and King’s Quest have all undergone reboots at various stages of their lifespans.

Meanwhile, Resident Evil and Metal Gear link tales within their own consistent worlds, with the latter spanning more than five decades of narrative and subsequently boasting the Longest-running consistent videogame universe.

However, Tekken has sustained a singular story thread that’s evolved throughout its core series, unfolding events chronologically between releases.

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Its games revolve around the feuding Mishima family and a global martial arts contest known as the King of Iron Fist Tournament, with key recurring protagonists including Heihachi Mishima, Kazuya Mishima, Jin Kazama and Nina Williams.

Tekken 7’s release on to consoles on 2 June 2017 also saw the hit series extend its title of Longest-running 3D fighting videogame franchise: with the series stretching a grand total of 21 years 179 days.

Collecting certificates for both GWR titles in his Japan studio was legendary game developer and Tekken project director Katsuhiro Harada.

Donning his trademark shades and looking every inch the “developer rockstar”, Harada explained: “I was never aiming to become number one by creating the Tekken series.

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“I was just dreaming of catching up to my giant rivals such as Street Fighter and Virtua Fighter, and then overtaking them.

“I realised it’s the same attitude of the fighters in the story of Tekken. Each fighter is focused on beating his or her rival one at a time, not necessarily becoming world number one. We think the same way!”

* Tekken’s record for the Longest-running videogame story is one of many new titles that can be found in the Guinness World Records Gamer’s Edition 2018 annual, which is out from 8 September 2017.