IKEA Atlanta hosts furniture brand’s first-ever in-store Tekken tournament

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In Atlanta, Georgia, tournament organizers hosted the very first Tekken competition inside an IKEA store. The event was designed to showcase IKEA’s gaming furniture collection.

Fighting games are known for their characters battling in exciting and unusual places. Whether it’s inside a volcano or on a haunted pirate ship, there’s always plenty of action for both the fighters and anyone watching.

As a fighting game fan, it’s awesome to see how popular these tournaments are becoming! It’s not just about the pros anymore – it’s for everyone! I recently heard about a really cool thing happening in France. A nursing home company actually ran a series of Street Fighter 6 tournaments for their residents, and the winners got an all-expenses-paid trip to Evo France! Seriously, how amazing is that?

IKEA, the popular furniture store, is now hosting esports events! They’re holding their first Tekken tournament at their Atlanta store on October 28, 2025.

IKEA becomes a real-life battleground as Tekken players face off in store

I heard this awesome story about an IKEA employee in Atlanta who’s also a big Tekken fan! They had this brilliant idea to actually host a Tekken 8 tournament inside the store, right there on the showroom floor. It was a really cool way to show off all of IKEA’s gaming furniture and get people excited about it.

The team partnered with the local gaming group 4o4esports to get consoles and monitors. They also used their own supply of IKEA gaming chairs and desks to create comfortable playing stations for the competitors.

I was so excited to watch twelve players compete in the bracket! The winner got an amazing prize – a Huvudspelare desk and chair set, which I heard is worth around $429. What a fantastic reward for all their hard work!

The runners-up received IKEA gift cards worth $150 and $75, and all three winners also won passes to MomoCon, a fan convention in Atlanta, scheduled for May 2026.

Here are the winners from our first-ever Tekken 8 tournament at Ikea! First place goes to @KayDashX_, second place to @JJBREEZE_, and third place to O.N2. A big thanks to @4o4esports for providing the gaming setups that made it all happen!

— ViewtifulDMC (@ViewtifulDMC) October 29, 2025

According to an IKEA employee who spoke with TopMob, they considered holding a Super Smash Bros. tournament but decided on Tekken 8 instead. This decision was made because Atlanta has a strong and active community of competitive Tekken players.

So, I played in this awesome tournament called the ‘Brännboll Battle’ – it was a one-time thing, but the team at IKEA ATL said they’re hoping to run more competitions for different games soon, which is super cool! I’m definitely keeping an eye out for those.

Brandon Lomax, Market Manager for IKEA US in Atlanta, said he immediately thought the idea to host a gaming tournament in their store – coinciding with a large gaming convention – had a lot of promise when two of his coworkers suggested it.

IKEA wanted to demonstrate how their furniture could create the perfect gaming environment – offering comfortable setups, clever storage, and effective lighting. The event was a fun and engaging way to connect with gamers and show how practical and budget-friendly IKEA products can be for their needs.

We received fantastic feedback, and I’m incredibly proud of the team. It’s wonderful to see everyone taking the lead and finding innovative ways to connect with customers, showing them how IKEA can truly enhance their everyday lives.

This recent little tournament really blew my mind – it showed just how inventive and adaptable the fighting game community is. But honestly, it’s not the first time we’ve seen players get creative with where they hold events. I’ve heard stories of people battling it out in some wild locations! Like, someone actually played Street Fighter 6 at a rave, which is insane. And Guild Esports even ran a competition in a seriously hot ‘sweat room’ – 150 degrees, can you believe it? It just proves we’ll play anywhere!

Okay, so Melty Blood players are dedicated – I’ve heard stories of them literally playing matches while sitting in the bathroom! So when I say upgrading to playing at an IKEA store is a big deal, I really mean it. It’s a huge step up from… well, you get the idea.

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2025-10-31 02:49