Subj : Tekken lead Katsuhiro Harada to leave Bandai Namco: 'I felt this
To   : All
From : TechnologyDaily
Date : Mon Dec 08 2025 12:00:09

Tekken lead Katsuhiro Harada to leave Bandai Namco: 'I felt this was the most 
fitting moment to bring one chapter to a close'

Date:
Mon, 08 Dec 2025 11:53:26 +0000

Description:
As Tekken ends its 30th anniversary celebrations, series lead Katsuhiro 
Harada confirms he's leaving Bandai Namco.

FULL STORY
======================================================================Tekken 
lead Katsuhiro Harada has confirmed he's leaving Bandai Namco Harada will 
depart at the end of 2025 He leaves behind a 30-year legacy of one of the 
best fighting games 

 Tekken series director and producer Katsuhiro Harada has confirmed he will 
be leaving Bandai Namco at the end of the year. 

In a post on X / Twitter , Harada wrote: "With the TEKKEN series reaching its 
30th anniversaryan important milestone for a project Ive devoted much of my 
life toI felt this was the most fitting moment to bring one chapter to a 
close." 

He added: "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.'" Id like to 
share that Ill be leaving Bandai Namco at the end of 2025.With the TEKKEN 
series reaching its 30th anniversaryan important milestone for a project Ive 
devoted much of my life toI felt this was the most fitting moment to bring 
one chapter to a close.My roots lie December 8, 2025 

Harada's announcement comes shortly after the passing of Tomonobu Itagaki , 
creator of Dead or Alive and the rebooted Ninja Gaiden series, with whom he 
shared a friendly but competitive rivalry. 

However, it seems that Harada had been planning to depart for a number of 
years, stating: "Over the past four to five years, Ive 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." 

In true Harada fashion, the man isn't leaving without fanfare. He's put 
together an hour-long 30th anniversary mix titled 'TEKKEN: A 30-Year Journey  
Harada's Final Mix', which you can listen to over on his SoundCloud page . 

I've poured hundreds of hours into the Tekken series ever since I was little, 
greatly enjoying most games in the series including more divisive entries 
like Tekken 4 and Tekken Tag Tournament 2. 

Out of all the best fighting games , Tekken is the series that stands at the 
top of the pile for me thanks to its iconic characters, deep 3D movement 
systems, satisfying juggle combos, and some of the best music in the 
business. 

I'll personally miss Harada and his influence on the industry greatly, and I 
hope the series, including Tekken 8 , will be in good hands going forward. 
And naturally, I wish Harada all the best in his future endeavors. 

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======================================================================
Link to news story:
https://www.techradar.com/gaming/tekken-lead-katsuhiro-harada-to-leave-bandai-
namco-i-felt-this-was-the-most-fitting-moment-to-bring-one-chapter-to-a-close


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