Katsuhiro Harada, the Game Director of Tekken, has made a surprising announcement that he will be leaving Bandai Namco. This news has sent shockwaves through the fighting game community.
Announcement by Katsuhiro Harada Regarding His Resignation from Bandai Namco
Harada personally shared this information through his X (Twitter) account. He announced that he will be stepping down from his role at Bandai Namco and will officially leave the company by the end of 2025. This decision coincides with the 30th anniversary celebration of the Tekken series.
In his tweet, Harada expressed his gratitude to everyone who has supported him and given him the opportunity to continue creating in the gaming industry up to this point.
Harada also shared several memorable moments from his career in the video game industry. His stories include efforts to promote the Tekken game directly from Japanese arcade centers and international locations, as well as opportunities to work on other projects such as Pokken Tournament, Soul Calibur, and virtu al reality games like Summer Lesson.
Although he is set to officially end his career at the company by the end of 2025, Harada has announced that he will still attend the Final Tekken World Tour 2025 (TWT), scheduled for January to February 2026, as a guest. This decision was made at the direct request of Bandai, whom he confirmed personally.
Alongside the post, he also released a 60-minute DJ mix compilation titled “TEKKEN: A 30-Year Journey – Harada’s Final Mix,” available on SoundCloud as a farewell tribute.
There were earlier rumors and plans involving Harada
His decision seemed to confirm the circulating speculation that he would be leaving the company, especially after he changed his LinkedIn status to say he was “open to work.” However, he ultimately denied these claims, explaining that his update was simply a way to connect with more people on the platform.
This news was also very hard for fans to accept, as Harada previously stated that he would only retire from the gaming industry after working on Tekken 9.
Harada’s departure from Bandai signaled the beginning of a new era for the Tekken franchise and also left fans of the series questioning what the future holds for it.
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