A group of tournament organizers in Atlanta, Georgia set up the first-ever Tekken tournament held inside an IKEA to promote the store’s line of gaming furniture.
Fighting games usually depict their characters brawling in all sorts of wild locations. From the inside of an erupting volcano to a ghostly pirate ship, there’s never a dull moment for the fighters in these games (or the virtual bystanders watching them throw down, for that matter).
Fighting game tournaments are, in essence, no different. In fact, a French nursing home company held a series of Street Fighter 6 tournaments for the elderly in their senior residences, with winners earning a trip to Evo France.
Now, major furniture retailer IKEA has also become a tournament venue, holding its first-ever Tekken tournament in its Atlanta location on October 28, 2025.
IKEA AtlantaIKEA Atlanta hosted the furniture brand’s first-ever tournament dedicated to Tekken 8 in October 2025.
IKEA becomes a real-life battleground as Tekken players face off in store
An IKEA Atlanta employee and fighting game fan got the idea to host a Tekken 8 tournament on their store’s showroom floor to promote the brand’s extensive line of gaming furniture.
They worked with local gaming organization 4o4esports to procure consoles and monitors, and sourced from their own stock of IKEA’s gaming chairs and desks for players to sit in and compete.
In total, twelve players participated in the bracket, with the first-place winner earning a Huvudspelare desk and chair set — a prize with a combined value of $429.
The second and third place winners scored $150 and $75 IKEA gift cards, respectively, and all three scored with passes to Atlanta-based fan convention MomoCon in May 2026.
In a statement given to Dexerto, the IKEA employee explained that they’d initially toyed with hosting a Super Smash Bros tournament, but ultimately chose Tekken 8 due to Atlanta’s vibrant community of competitive Tekken players.
The tournament, cheekily titled the ‘Brännboll Battle,’ was a one-off event, but the folks at IKEA ATL are looking to expand with more competitions for other games in the future.
“When two coworkers pitched the idea to host a gaming tournament in our store, timed with a major gaming convention in Atlanta, I knew it had the potential to be something special,” Brandon Lomax, Market Manager at IKEA US’s Atlanta Market, told us.
“Their vision was to showcase how IKEA’s range of home furnishing solutions could meet the unique needs of gamers—from ergonomic setups to smart storage and lighting. The event was not only a creative way to engage with our community, but it also highlighted the versatility and affordability of our products in a fun and relevant way.
“The feedback was overwhelmingly positive, and I couldn’t be prouder. It’s inspiring to see our coworkers take initiative and find new ways to connect with customers, helping them discover how IKEA can support their lifestyles in meaningful and unexpected ways.”
IKEA Atlanta12 players competed in a bracket for gift cards and furniture at IKEA Atlanta.
This small tournament showed just how creative and versatile the fighting game community can be, but it’s far from the first time players have chosen an unconventional location for their events. In fact, players have even thrown down with some Street Fighter 6 in the middle of a rave, and Guild Esports even held a competition for the game in a 150°F “sweat room.”
Melty Blood players are even known for playing sets in the bathroom — so we’d say an IKEA furniture store is a major upgrade.
