Katsuhiro Harada, long-time developer, Executive Producer, and Director of the popular fighting franchise Tekken, has announced that he will be departing from Bandai Namco after having worked across the company for over 30 years. The 55-year-old developer, who has been involved with every Tekken game since the series launched in 1994, has stated in a post made on social media that the death of close friends, along with the retirement or death of senior colleagues, has made him reflect on his time left as a creator He also stated advice from Ken Kutaragi, the “father of playstation”, supported him in this decision. While Harada did not say what was next for him, he did say he had no plans for retirement at this time.
In recent years, Harada has had a somewhat tempestuous relationship with both the Tekkern Series and Bandai Namco, speaking openly about development difficulties endured while a developer at the company. Tekken 8, the most recent game in the series, has also created some friction between fans and the development team, something Harada has always been quick to step in and address. Last October, for instance, an incident occurred over a DLC stage for the title in which fans accused Namco Bandai of “corporate Greed.” He was quick to address it, putting the issue on the structure of The Tekken Project, which was divided into two companies: the developer and the publisher. He admitted the structural set-up was a mistake, confirming plans to restructure the Tekken business, but also his role within it.
Harada remained a typically frank individual who often addressed the fan community directly through platforms like X. He also commonly attempted to address weird fan requests, like having attempted to secure the rights to KFC mascot Colonel Sanders, or reaching out to Waffle House to use the location as a stage in Tekken despite having no cultural reference for the joke. He was also open about why Soul Calibur had disappeared from the conversation, himself having served as producer on the last iteration back in 2018.
His full exit statement reads as such:
I’d like to share that I’ll be leaving Bandai Namco at the end of 2025.
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.
My roots lie in the days when I supported small local tournaments in Japanese arcades and in small halls and community centers overseas.
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 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.
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.
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.
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.
Harada joined Namco in the early 90’s, long before the eventual merger between them and Bandai in 2006. He was brought on at the time to work on Tekken’s arcade cabinets during the fighting game renaissance, which saw the genre become popular in arcades across the world at the time. These machines are also launched prior to the games’ release on home consoles. His role at this time consisted heavily of traveling to arcades to see how Tekken was being played by fans.
In 1998, Harada served as director for Tekken 3, the first in the series that would see him take on the role. The game was a mega hit and is widely considered one of the best fighting games ever made. The title would sell 8.36 million copies for the original PlayStation, becoming the 5th best-selling game on the console.
Tekken 8 has been stated to be selling at a faster pace than Tekken 7 by Namco Bandai, hitting 3 million sales in a year, though we have not received updates on this since January. During EVO 2025, we received an announcement of the last two characters of Season Pass 2, with an in-depth look at returning character Armor King, as well as our first look at new character Miary Zo. There has been no mention of Season Pass 3 yet, but if sales are as good as they say, it’s a matter of when, not if. This all being said, Tekken and Harada have been synonymous in the industry for many years, and it remains to be seen just how much of an impact his departure will have on the series.
The last title Harada served as executive producer for with the company is Shadow Labrynth, a reboot of the Pac-Man series with a dark twist. The game was released this year, but served as the basis for an episode of Secret Level in 2024, entitled Pac-Man: Circle.
Remember to follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Bluesky to keep up to date on everything we have going on!
