Tekken’s Katsuhiro Harada Departs Bandai Namco After 31 Years, Marking a New Chapter

Longtime producer of the Tekken series, Katsuhiro Harada, is set to depart from Bandai Namco at the end of 2025, wrapping up an impressive 31-year career with the company.

Harada has been a pivotal figure in the franchise since its inception, directing titles like Tekken 3, Tag Tournament, 4, 5, and 7, while also producing various other projects. He shared his decision to leave on Twitter, stating, “With the Tekken series reaching its 30th anniversary—an important milestone for a project I’ve devoted much of my life to—I felt this was the most fitting moment to bring one chapter to a close.”

He elaborated, “In recent years, I experienced the loss of several close friends in my personal life, and in my professional life, I witnessed the retirement or passing of many senior colleagues whom I deeply respect. Those accumulated events made me reflect on the ‘time I have left as a creator.'” Harada also mentioned that he sought guidance from Ken Kutaragi, the original PlayStation lead, whose advice played a role in his decision.

The Tekken team reassured fans on Twitter, stating, “Rest assured that we are fully committed to the future development and content plans for Tekken 8. We will continue to take community feedback on the game and its content to heart to ensure that we uphold the vision and spirit built by Harada-san, dedicating our utmost efforts to ensure the legacy of the Tekken series continues as a fighting game franchise beloved worldwide.”

While Harada hasn’t revealed his future plans, he did mention, “For 30 years I kept saying, ‘I’ll do it someday,’ and never once performed as a DJ at a tournament event. So instead, I will be releasing – for the first and last time – a 60-minute Tekken DJ-style nonstop mix, personally edited by myself, together with this announcement.” This hints at a potential DJ career on the horizon.

Change can often bring new opportunities, and while Harada’s influence has been significant in shaping Tekken’s identity, he noted, “Over the past four to five years, I’ve gradually handed over all of my responsibilities, as well as the stories and worldbuilding I oversaw, to the team, bringing me to the present day.”

With first-time director Takayuki Nakayama having made waves with Street Fighter 6, there’s hope that Tekken 8 could experience a similar revival, especially given its current challenges. It just means we won’t be able to ask Harada “for shit” anymore.

Now that Kirby Air Riders has launched, the gaming community is buzzing with jokes about Nintendo potentially asking Masahiro Sakurai to jump back into the fray for Super Smash Bros 6: “Alright. We let you make Air Riders. You know what comes next…”