Katsuhiro Harada leaves Bandai Namco

Tekken Creative Director Katsuhiro Harada has announced that he will be leaving Bandai Namco at the end of the year. He shared the news on Twitter, saying the show's 30th anniversary was a fitting moment to close this chapter in his life. Harada has worked on the series for 30 years, and mentioned that there are several reasons why he has chosen to make this decision.

In a lengthy Twitter post, Harada noted that the death of a close friend, the retirement of several Bandai Namco colleagues, as well as some advice from the father of PlayStation, Ken Kutaragi, helped him come to this decision. He has not revealed what he will do next.

Katsuhiro Harada leaves Bandai Namco

Jin Kazama punches the camera in Tekken 8.

“I would like to share that I will be leaving Bandai Namco at the end of 2025,” Harada said. “As the Tekken franchise reached its 30th anniversary – a major milestone for a project I've dedicated much of my life to – I felt this was the most appropriate moment to close a chapter.

“My roots lie in the days of supporting small local tournaments in Japanese arcades and in small halls and communities overseas. I still remember carrying arcade cabinets by myself, encouraging people to 'Please try Tekken', and 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 game creator.”

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He mentioned that he has been slowly handing over his day-to-day responsibilities to others at Bandai Namco, so that Tekken fans will not feel his loss immediately. He also noted that he will share what's going on for him at a future date. Bandai Namco has asked him to participate in the Tekken World Tournament in January 2026, so it will be a grand farewell for him.

Unfortunately, he never got to perform as a DJ at the Tekken World Tournament despite planning to do so on many occasions. Although he won't be doing it in January either, he did compile a 60-minute Tekken DJ mix that he edited himself. “Listening to it brings back a lot of memories.

Thanks again, sincerely, for all these years,” he concluded.