Pakistani Tekken Pros Forge Glory from Arcades to World Stage
As the evening monsoon rains fall over Lahore, the lights at the Maniax gaming arcade still flicker, despite the generators struggling to stay functional, which is not unusual when a country has an unpredictable supply of electricity. Even though the surrounding area is not clean, the dark, sticky walls hold iconic value, as a generation of champions is molded at this arcade. Despite the socio-economic conditions of Pakistan, it somehow has managed to become a key player in the esports world, specifically for the classic fighting game, Tekken.
This isn’t a random occurrence, as it’s become so common that the country has produced three of the world’s top ten Tekken players. Cracking virtual skulls, they are a part of international gaming tournaments, signing with lucrative saudi-backed esports teams, and earning thousands of dollars in prize money, single handedly changing their lives for the better and putting Pakistani esports on the map.
The Unlikely Champions
Arsalan “Ash” Siddique, a reserved self assured thirty-year-old gentleman from Lahore, represents Pakistan Tekken. To Ash, Tekken is just a game; to the world, Ash is much more than just a player. Ever since he took home the “Esports Player of the Year” award from ESPN, he has been in the possession of multiple other hisotric titles. Ash has a total of 6 champion in EVO series; the most prestigious award in the community of fighting games.
His most recent EVO Las Vegas victory was against a fellow Pakistan native and a very close longtime practice partner, Atif Butt.
“I felt a bit unfortunate, paradise lost and all that, Ash keeps competing internationally.” Butt, representing Team Falcons of Saudi Esports, is a true gamer powerhouse and one of the athletes who was called a ‘freak of nature’ during his unmatched periods of hitting the finals of every major tournament, only to leave with the first runner-up trophy. He was the first to make a breakthrough on the Circuit, attaining ‘major-shattering’ fame with Anna during ceo 2025 and ever since, can’t seem to lose sight of that going all out attitude. Their ‘rivals’ have shifted from the unostentatious Spots of Lahore to the biggest streaming platforms in the world, sending the world of tekken into a frenzy.
The Crucible; Annals of an Arcade
These athletes grew from zero and didn’t have a console at hand to get started. The enormous difference in an average monthly income of a Pakis to a console is greater than a kidney, making Playstations worth 700$. To no one’s surprise, the solution to this was an arcade.
Maniax and other similar locations in Lahore served as the birthplace for this ability. 35-year-old Bawaqar also known as ‘Soul Dagger’ and Co Founder of Maniax states that the non discriminatory and skill driven culture serves as the backbone for the arcade sector. The reputation one achieves in the Dagger world of Tekken is earned. Back then, the game was very inexpensive and super easy for arcades to purchase and use during the 90’s and early 2000’s. Because of this, it was more easily incorporated into the local culture compared to its other competitive titles.
Haider describes this environment as ruthless especially when it comes to young gamers. Out of the 170 million people that live in Pakistan, more than 30% of them are under the age of 30 and have lived most of their life in global instability. This is the reason that Haider believes in the “hunger and deprivation that drives them to surpass the world around them” . Their ability to play Tekken is not just a hobby, it is a way of life for them.
The world stage and extract challenges
The concentrated Tekken community in Pakistan is both supportive and beneficial, however, taking talent to the world is almost impossible. This is the case for Arslan Ash, whose skills rival the very best. It didn’t take long for him to exhaust domestic competition. However, one of the world’s most impoverished passports forced him into a tedious reality of acquiring visas for international competitive gaming hubs such as Japan and the USA.
After a tremendous win against the South Korean national team in Seoul in March, Ash Refers to himself and puts emphasis on this very problem. “We can’t go on the stage and in particular sponsors are not sponsoring players because they don’t have a USA visa,” he continued. “No matter how good we are, if we can’t get out of Pakistan and showcase our skills, It’s pointless.” He argues in favor of increased government spending to help bring structure and build the formal esports infrastructure of Pakistan.
This, however, is not to say that no one has listened to him. Rana Mashood, the head of the Prime Minister’s Youth Program, CNN mentioned that plans for Pakistan’s first esports policy are in progress and it may include the construction of gaming “arenas and coworking spaces”.
The Evolving Tekken Landscape
Tekken has taken on a new sense with the addition of Tekken 8. Notable DLC characters, like Heihaci, Lidia, Anna, and Anna’s recent tournament victories, exemplify this shift. Tekken 8 has a filled esports calendar with premier tournaments like the Esports World Cup held recently in Riyadh. Ulsan, the champion of the Tekken 8 tournament, won $250,000, as a part of the Esports World Cup’s Tekken 8 tournament with a huge prize pool.
The community is excited for the 2025 Tekken World Tour Finals in early 2026 in Malmo, Sweden. Support for the game continues despite its age. Armor King, set to release in October 2024, and Miary Zo, the original DLC fighter from Madagascar scheduled for Winter 2025, demonstrate the game’s evolving roster.A Brighter Future with New Players
Thanks to the success of players such as the Ash brothers, the new sets of gamers emerging in Pakistan is more diverse. 21 year old Laiba Adnan who is currently the only known female to compete in Tekken at that age claims Ash is an extremely pivotal figure. Despite laiba not being at ease at all in arcades full of males, she expresses that such places in the future will be more female friendly. She also claims that the Tekken pros have altered the way the world views us. “They now see us as extremely hard working… these are the ones who grind 24/7,” she claims.
Pakistani Tekken players have, for years, suffered an uphill battle. Despite these ongoing issues, the country is producing world-class players. These issues are not only related to the game, but also to life in general.
Sitting in his Lahore studio which is full of trophies, Arslan Ash is nothing but positive about his aspirants as well as himself. He feels the future of the country is not as bleak as is assumed. He said, “The future is bright.”
Source: https://edition.cnn.com/2025/09/27/asia/pakistan-esports-tekken-gamers-intl-hnk-dst
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