Team Vitality's Jeondding talks Tekken 8 balance, changes in the FGC, joining the org, and more (Exclusive)

Jeon “Jeondding” Sang-hyun is one of the first names that come to mind when I think of talented Tekken 8 players. The South Korean fighting game pro joined Team Vitality earlier this year and has seen quite a number of impressive finishes — whether it was at the Esports World Cup, or at smaller events like The Mixup. While it hasn’t been a perfect year for the Tekken star, there’s always time to improve and grow.

We had a chance to talk to Jeondding recently, to discuss how Tekken 8 feels as a game, what it felt like to join Team Vitality, his performance in events like the Esports World Cup, and much more.

It was a pleasure to chat with him, now that we’re closer to the end of the year. Between a strict work ethic and a team like Vitality helping him, the sky's the limit for this South Korean star.

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Team Vitality’s Jeondding on his 2024 performance, Tekken 8, and much more

Q. Firstly, thank you so much for taking the time to talk to us! You've had a fairly successful year in Tekken 8 so far, competing in a wide array of Tekken 8 tournaments. Looking back, how do you feel about your performance this year?

Jeondding: Overall, I’m quite disappointed with my performance this year, because I wanted to do so much better! I spoke with my manager about the goals I’d set out to achieve at the beginning of the year, but I couldn’t achieve them all and it’s been a little disappointing.

Q. You've also been seen outside of the world of fighting games - you were at IEM Cologne to support Team Vitality's CS2 roster with the Golden Hornets. What was that experience like? Were you already a CS2 fan, or was it altogether new to you?

Jeondding was just as excited as the rest of us to watch IEM Cologne 2024 (Image via Team Vitality)

Jeondding: It was a really new experience for me. It was a slightly different culture to fighting games, where there are only a few cases where they’ve gathered thousands of fans and chanted for teams, and I was shocked that the players were on such a big stage with so many fans cheering together.

I actually used to play CS:GO back in elementary school, and didn’t know that CS2 had been released! It was all so new for me and I really enjoyed it.

Q. Speaking of Team Vitality, you joined them earlier this year - April 2024. How has joining such a respected organization impacted your career - whether it's new teammates, the training facility, or the support of the org itself?

Jeondding: I think it was the biggest moment of my career. I think that my overall value has also gone up a lot since being signed by an organization as big as Team Vitality!

Q. You're very vocal on social media, showing your org to your followers - not just in South Korea but globally. Do you think your recruitment and social media presence has increased Team Vitality's visibility in South Korea?

Jeondding: I don’t know the exact numbers, but I think signing for Team Vitality has definitely increased visibility. There are certainly many TEKKEN fans who have learned about Team Vitality since I signed for them.

Q. Tekken 8's balance is always a hot topic of discussion, and you've played quite a few characters this year in the competitive scene - notably Nina, Eddy, and Reina. What led you to these characters as Tekken 8 launched, and are you planning to stick to them in 2025?

Jeondding: I think I’ll definitely use Eddy more, as I’ve been using him for over 15 years and I think that fans definitely want to see me win with him. I feel that iconic characters are very important, but if there are limits that character has, I’ll change.

Q. On the topic of Tekken 8 itself, many players decried the new game mechanics like the Rage System. Now that we're about a year in, where do you stand on these types of mechanics? Do they feel good, or perhaps a bit unbalanced?

Jeondding: All players will think that it’s unbalanced. I really like Tekken 8 and think it’s fun, but the current system does have some imbalances that I think should be changed.

Q. You've been a competitive fighting game player since at least the Street Fighter 5 days. Even looking back to 2019, the FGC has changed dramatically. Do you think your perspective on professional play has changed over the years? Whether in how you train, how you view other players, or the scene just in general?

Jeondding: I think the landscape has changed a lot. For example, the treatment of players has changed a lot, and as time goes on, it seems that tactics and patterns of other players in competitions are studied a lot more than they used to be. There’s definitely more coaching than there used to be as well.

Q. You also competed in Street Fighter 6 when that was released, albeit briefly. Do you find it harder to play at a high level in two games at once, or was there something about Street Fighter 6 that didn't quite feel right to you?

Jeondding: The two games are very different. Shortly after Tekken 8 came out, a lot of things were studied and a lot of practice is now needed for each matchup. If it were Tekken 7, I think I could play Street Fighter 6 alongside it, but I’ve focused solely on Tekken 8 since it came out. I do really like playing Street Fighter 6, but Tekken 8 takes up a lot of my time!

Q. This may be the best time to be a fighting game fan - with Indie titles like Iron Saga VS coming, the Marvel collection coming back, and Maximilian's Marvel vs. Capcom Infinite mod being highlights. Are there any fighting games that you enjoy in your downtime, that you don't compete in?

Jeondding: I like playing all fighting games. However, I do think that a lot of fighting games, especially the 2D ones, are very difficult to master.

Q. What does the future hold for Jeondding? What are your major plans and goals, going into 2025's competitive season?

Jeondding: First and foremost, I would really love to win a big tournament and get my hands on a trophy, to then display in the Team Vitality office. A second goal of mine is to become one of the key players in Team Vitality, with good performance at my events and supporting the other rosters at their tournaments.

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Jeondding will no doubt continue to compete well through 2025 in Tekken 8 as a member of Team Vitality. You can find him on X, as well as streaming on Twitch and creating content on YouTube.