Tekken Director Katsuhiro Harada Announces Departure After 30 Years at Bandai Namco

Katsuhiro Harada, director and producer of the Tekken series, has announced he'll soon leave Bandai Namco.

The news comes as the fighting game franchise reaches its 30th anniversary. Harada has worked on every game in the series, with his career almost entirely focused on it over three decades.

"I felt this was the most fitting moment to bring one chapter to a close," he writes in a lengthy statement about his departure. He'll leave Bandai Namco at the end of 2025.

Harada explains that seeing friends and colleagues around him retiring and even passing away, he began to think about his own time left as a creator, and sought advice from former PlayStation CEO, Ken Kutaragi — "whom I respect as though he were another father," he says.

Harada explains that he's "gradually handed over" all his responsibilities over the last few years to the Tekken team.

"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," Harada concludes, adding that he'll share what he'll be doing next at a later date.

A separate statement from the official Tekken account thanks Harada for "providing us with vision and continued success over the years", and explains that work on Tekken 8 and the future of the franchise will continue.

In addition to his work on Tekken, Harada has contributed to the likes of SoulCalibur, Ace Combat, and even PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale in a supervisory position.

He's a legendary figure in the world of gaming, and while it sounds like he's not quite done yet, his 30-year body of work at Bandai Namco is a remarkable achievement. It'll be interesting to see what he does next.

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