Tekken Director Katsuhiro Harada Announces Departure from Bandai Namco This Month

by

Katsuhiro Harada, the director and producer of Tekken 8 and a long-time developer of fighting games at Bandai Namco, has announced he will be leaving the company at the end of 2025. He shared the news in a detailed social media post, discussing his career with Bandai Namco and how his departure aligns with the 30th anniversary of the Tekken series.

Harada announced he will be leaving Bandai Namco at the end of 2025. He explained that with the Tekken series celebrating its 30th anniversary – a significant achievement for a project he’s dedicated a large part of his life to – he felt it was the right time to move on to a new chapter.

Harada shared the story of his career beginnings, explaining that he’s always been connected to the early, local fighting game tournaments that emerged in arcades during the 1990s. He described personally transporting arcade machines to tournaments and enthusiastically introducing players to the new 3D fighting game, Tekken.

I started my career supporting small fighting game tournaments, both in Japanese arcades and at local events around the world. I fondly remember the early days – even physically carrying arcade machines, encouraging people to give Tekken a try, and interacting directly with players. Those experiences, the conversations and the energy of those events, shaped me into the developer and game creator I am today.

Regarding the future of Tekken 8 and the series, Harada has gradually been sharing his duties with other team members. This ensures that development will continue even after he leaves Bandai Namco. He concluded by fondly recalling his work on various projects during his time at the company, including Pokken Tournament and the VR game Summer Lesson.

He shared that each project brought new insights and lessons, and he considered them all uniquely valuable experiences.

Harada’s final official appearance with the Tekken series will be at the Tekken World Tournament Finals in late January 2026. He plans to fully enjoy the event without work responsibilities and is releasing a one-hour “Tekken DJ-style nonstop mix” to fulfill a long-held dream of performing as a DJ at a tournament. You can find the track, titled “Tekken: A 30-Year Journey – Harada’s Final Mix,” on SoundCloud.

Katsuhiro Harada began his career at Bandai Namco as a voice actor in the first Tekken game. He later became the director, starting with Tekken 3, and led the development through Tekken 5. Afterward, he transitioned to a producer role for the series. Throughout his career, he also contributed to games like the Tekken Tag Tournament series and Soulcalibur. This year’s Shadow Labyrinth will be his last project with Bandai Namco as an executive producer.

Read More

2025-12-08 16:12