Katsuhiro Harada to leave Bandai Namco after more than 31 years

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Katsuhiro Harada, a key leader at Bandai Namco—responsible for game direction, production, marketing, and general management—has announced he will retire after over 31 years with the company at the end of 2025.

Katsuhiro Harada is most famous for his work on the Tekken fighting game series. He’s been involved with the games since 1994, taking on roles like director, producer, and executive producer.

Harada explained that after losing several close friends, he began thinking about how much time he had left to create games, which ultimately led to his departure from Bandai Namco. He plans to announce his future projects soon.

Here is the full message from Harada on his departure:

I’d like to share that I’ll be leaving Bandai Namco at the end of 2025.

As the Tekken series celebrates its 30th anniversary—a huge milestone for something I’ve worked on for so long—I decided it was the right time to wrap up one part of the story.

I started my journey supporting small fighting game tournaments – in Japanese arcades and at local events around the world. I have fond memories of those early days, like hauling arcade machines myself, inviting people to play Tekken, and interacting directly with players face-to-face.

The discussions and experiences I had in those environments really shaped me into the developer and game maker I am today.

Even as the times changed, those experiences have remained at the center of my identity.

Even as the competitive scene became more popular, a lot of you still treated me like a friend, always ready to play a match or grab a drink with me.

Those memories are also deeply precious to me.

Recently, I’ve sadly lost several dear friends, and at work, I’ve seen many respected senior colleagues retire or pass away.

Those accumulated events made me reflect on the “time I have left as a creator.”

I was really struggling back then, so I went to Ken Kutaragi for advice. I have so much respect for him – he’s like a second father to me – and he gave me the encouragement and direction I desperately needed. It made a huge difference.

His words quietly supported me in making this decision.

So, over the last four or five years, I’ve been slowly stepping back from my role on the game. I’ve passed on everything I was responsible for – all the story stuff and the world we built – to the rest of the team. That brings us to where I am now.

I had the chance to work on a really diverse range of projects, which I’m grateful for. These included VR games like Summer Lesson, Pokken Tournament, the Soulcalibur series, and several other titles both at and outside of the company.

I learned something new with every project, and each one was a truly valuable experience.

I’m incredibly thankful to everyone who has supported me, to the communities I’ve been a part of, and to my wonderful colleagues who have worked with me over the years.

I’ll share more about my next steps at a later date.

Thank you very much for everything.

Postscript

I’m leaving Bandai Namco at the end of 2025, but they’ve invited me to be a guest at the Tekken World Tournament Finals in January 2026, and I plan to be there.

I always said I’d DJ at a tournament ‘someday,’ but for thirty years, I never actually did.

I’m also releasing a special 60-minute Tekken DJ mix – a continuous, nonstop mix I personally edited – and this will be the only time I ever share it.

Listening to it brings back many memories.

Thank you again, sincerely, for all these years.

Bandai Namco announced Harada’s departure and provided an update on the future of the Tekken franchise.

Regarding the Departure of Katsuhiro Harada

Katsuhiro Harada, the head of many projects including the popular Tekken series, is leaving Bandai Namco. This announcement comes after the Tekken series recently celebrated its 30th anniversary, a landmark achievement Harada-san helped create as the franchise’s executive director and producer. He will be making a final appearance to connect with the Tekken community at the Tekken World Tour 2025 Global Finals Last Chance Qualifier and Top 20 Finals in Malmo, Sweden, on January 31st and February 1st, 2026.

Regarding the Future of the Tekken Series

We want to assure our players that we’re fully dedicated to the future of Tekken 8. We’ll keep listening to your feedback to make sure the game stays true to the original vision of Harada-san and that the Tekken series remains a globally loved fighting game franchise. We’re committed to building on its legacy with our continued development and content plans.

We are incredibly grateful to Harada-san for his leadership and for consistently helping us succeed over the years.

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2025-12-08 16:02