Katsuhiro Harada Is Leaving Bandai Namco

Katsuhiro Harada will leave Bandai Namco Entertainment at the end of 2025. He is best known for his work on the Tekken fighting game series, on which he worked for 31 years. He was most recently Executive Producer on Tekken 8 (2024) and Director on Tekken 7 (2015).

With the 30th anniversary celebrations for the Tekken series slowly coming to an end, he feels that now is the right time to close a chapter of his life. Personal losses in recent years and the departure of many colleagues have led him to reflect on his remaining time as a creative artist. A conversation with Ken Kutaragi ultimately confirmed his decision. Having gradually handed over his responsibilities and creative tasks to his team in recent years, he now looks back with gratitude on numerous projects, including Tekken, SoulCalibur, Pokkén Tournament and Summer Lesson.

Harada writes on X: "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."

Finally, he thanked all his supporters worldwide. Although he is retiring at the end of 2025, he will appear as a guest at the Tekken World Tour Finals in January 2026. As a personal farewell message, he has also released a one-off 60-minute DJ mix featuring Tekken music.