It was announced that at the close of the year 2025, Bandai Namco will be welcoming a somewhat stormy situation when Katsuhiro Harada, the long-standing director of the Tekken franchise, leaves the conglomerate. This information comes as something of a shock, considering that the fighting game series is currently celebrating its 30th anniversary, and that this comes off the critically and commercially successful Tekken 8. Harada has been at once the creative lead-in for the franchise for three decades, while at the same time, it has proven itself to be the most visible public figure. After decades of that work and engagement with fans, his standing has made that timing an undeniable inflection point for one of the most respected people in the fighting game genre.
In a detailed post shared across social media, Mr. Harada himself explained that Tekken anniversary milestone was a good time to “bring one chapter to a close.” He elaborated that recent personal happenings, particularly the demise of fellow industry legend Tomonobu Itagaki, sparked a dramatic rethink of the time that Katsuhiro Harada has remaining as a game creator. To the uninitiated, such news comes as a surprise, but he also pointed out that this has been something gradually happening on the inside for quite some time. He has confirmed that he is preparing for this move, divesting himself of many core responsibilities over the last five years to make smooth handoffs to his teams.
Meanwhile, following Harada’s announcement, Bandai Namco and the present Tekken 8 development team jointly thanked him for his extensive and lasting contributions. More importantly, the company moved to reassure allaying fans’ fears on the continuation of the franchise, reasserting its commitment to the series, future development of content, and support for Tekken 8. The team would honor Harada’s vision and spirit while maintaining the legacy he established. Officially, however, the director would leave by the end of the year; he, however, plans to make a final ceremonial appearance at the upcoming Tekken World Tour 2025 Global Finals to be held in Malmö, Sweden, in early 2026.
Although he is perhaps best known for establishing the King of Iron Fist Tournament saga, Harada’s time within Bandai Namco was spent working on much more than that. Included in his farewell letter were mentions of several non-Tekken titles such as Pokkén Tournament and SoulCalibur, which were just denoted as fighting games outside the Tekken brand, while also having major credits with some big role-playing games, such as Tales of Arise and Dark Souls 3, in addition to the action title Code Vein. Retirement for him signals the closing of a very long and varied career that affected the fighting game landscape and, indeed, the broader portfolio of his former employer.
