Tekken boss Katsuhiro Harada says he’s leaving Bandai Namco this month

Tekken series producer Katsuhiro Harada has announced that he will be leaving Bandai Namco this month.

In a statement on X, Harada – who served as executive director and executive producer on the Tekken series, as well as general manager of Bandai Namco Studios original IP projects – declared that he was leaving the company, and with it the series he’s worked on for the past three decades.

“I’d like to share that I’ll be leaving Bandai Namco at the end of 2025,” he wrote. “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.”

Harada has worked on the Tekken series since its inception – towards the end of his first year working at Namco, he was given a role working on balancing the game and tweaking its timing and frame data.

By the time the series had reached Tekken 3, Harada had become a designer and director on the series, and has been heavily involved with it ever since.

“My roots lie in the days when I supported small local tournaments in Japanese arcades and in small halls and community centers overseas,” Harada wrote. “I still remember carrying arcade cabinets by myself, encouraging people to “Please try Tekken,” and directly facing the players right in front of me.

“The conversations and atmosphere we shared in those places became the core of who I am as a developer and game creator. Even as the times changed, those experiences have remained at the center of my identity.

“And even after the tournament scene grew much larger, many of you continued to treat me like an old friend—challenging me at venues, inviting me out for drinks at bars. Those memories are also deeply precious to me.

“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’.

“During that period, I sought advice from [former Sony Computer Entertainment CEO] Ken Kutaragi – whom I respect as though he were another father – and received invaluable encouragement and guidance. His words quietly supported me in making this decision.”

Harada wrote that he has “gradually handed over all of my responsibilities, as well as the stories and worldbuilding I oversaw, to the team” over the past four or five years.

“Looking back, I was fortunate to work on an extraordinary variety of projects – VR titles (such as Summer Lesson), Pokkén Tournament, the SoulCalibur series, and many others, both inside and outside the company,” he added. “Each project was full of new discoveries and learning, and every one of them became an irreplaceable experience for me.

“To everyone who has supported me, to communities around the world, and to all the colleagues who have walked alongside me for so many years, I offer my deepest gratitude. I’ll share more about my next steps at a later date. Thank you very much for everything.”

In a separate statement, Bandai Namco told players that Tekken 8 will continue to receive future content, and that the series’ legacy will continue following Harada’s departure.

“To our fans, rest assured that we are fully committed to future development and content plans for Tekken 8,” the company’s statement reads.

“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.

“We express our deepest gratitude to Harada-san for providing us with vision and continued success over the years.”

Harada’s final commitment to Bandai Namco will be an appearance at the Tekken World Tour 2025 Global Finals Last Chance Qualifier and Top 20 Finals, to take place in Malmo, Sweden on January 31 and February 1, 2026.