In a time that has seen such concoctions as Call of Duty Elite and free-to-play software, premium services are the name of the game. When Tekken Tag Tournament 2 launches on September 11, it will do so with a premium service of its own: the World Tekken Federation; however, unlike many others in the industry, the utility will be included with copies of the title free of charge.

The World Tekken Federation will extend the franchise beyond consoles with a focus on social interaction among players through a suite of community-oriented features. Through the service, users will be able to track personal statistics, coordinate with friends in order to create and manage teams, compete in special events, and generally engage in discourse about the fighting genre with like-minded peers.

Namco Bandai Vice President of Marketing Carlson Choi spoke to the game’s most unique approach, launching for free, and the intentions of the service going forward in the press release revealing this startling development.

With TEKKEN TAG TOURNAMENT 2, the team is committed to providing an unparalleled fighting game experience and are proving our dedication to this effort by offering World Tekken Federation free of charge to everyone who buys a copy of the game…Bringing together TEKKEN fans from around the globe in such a robust online community is a first for the fighting game genre and will give veterans and beginners a chance to develop their fighting skills in an exciting new way. – Carlson Choi, Vice President of Marketing at NAMCO BANDAI

The World Tekken Federation will launch simultaneously with Tekken Tag Tournament 2 on September 11.