Tekken improvement chief Katsuhiro Harada has introduced that he’ll be departing from the preventing recreation collection and its writer Bandai Namco on the finish of 2025. Harada–who has labored on each Tekken recreation for the reason that collection first debuted in 1994–said in a social media put up that the loss of life of shut buddies in his life had led to him to contemplate how a lot time he had left as a creator, and after consulting PlayStation icon Ken Kutaragi, he determined to go away the writer after spending 30 years engaged on the Tekken franchise.
“With the Tekken collection reaching its thirtieth anniversary–an vital milestone for a venture I’ve devoted a lot of my life to–I felt this was essentially the most becoming second to carry one chapter to a detailed,” Harada wrote in a web based put up. “Lately, I skilled the lack of a number of shut buddies in my private life, and in my skilled life I witnessed the retirement or passing of many senior colleagues whom I deeply respect. These accrued occasions made me replicate on the ‘time I’ve left as a creator.’ Throughout that interval, I sought recommendation from Ken Kutaragi–whom I respect as if he had been one other father–and acquired invaluable encouragement and steerage. His phrases quietly supported me in making this resolution.”
I’d wish to share that I’ll be leaving Bandai Namco on the finish of 2025.
With the TEKKEN collection reaching its thirtieth anniversary—an vital milestone for a venture I’ve devoted a lot of my life to—I felt this was essentially the most becoming second to carry one chapter to a detailed.
My roots lie…— Katsuhiro Harada (@Harada_TEKKEN) December 8, 2025
Harada added that he’d been regularly getting ready the Tekken crew for his departure, and he was grateful to have labored on the collection and on a number of different video games, similar to Pokken Event and SoulCalibur. Whereas Harada is leaving Bandai Namco, he talked about he would share his subsequent steps at a later date. In a separate put up, Bandai Namco mentioned it stays dedicated to future improvement and content material for Tekken 8 and expressed gratitude to Harada for his a long time of labor.
Regardless of a robust launch and three million gross sales in its first yr, Tekken 8 has confronted an uphill battle all through 2025. Longtime followers have acquired current gameplay updates, and character modifications have been poorly acquired. Many gamers have additionally criticized the sport’s microtransaction system.