Is this the End of Tekken? Katsuhiro Harada Announces Departure from Bandai Namco After 30 years

Katsuhiro Harada, the longtime producer and public face of the Tekken series, has announced that he will be leaving Bandai Namco at the end of 2025. The announcement coincides with the fighting franchise’s 30th anniversary: a milestone Harada calls “the most fitting moment to bring one chapter to a close.”

In his post to his followers on X (fomerly Twitter), he reflects on his early days supporting grassroots tournaments in Japanese arcades and small overseas venues. He would help haul arcade cabinets, encourage people passing to “Please try out Tekken”, and interact with players playing the game. His experiences would become the core to who he was as a developer and as a game creator.

Even as the franchise grew into a global competitive phenomenon, Harada says the community continued to treat him like an old friend, challenging him at events and inviting him out for drinks at bars. He treasures the precious memories these times have given him.

Harada then spoke candidly about personal and professional losses in recent years, including the passing of several close friends. One most notable example would be Dead or Alive creator, Tomonobu Itagaki, who was his senior at his university. The retirement or death of senior colleagues he deeply respected also weighed on him. These experiences prompted him to reflect on “the time I have left as a creator.” During this period, he sought counsel from PlayStation architect Ken Kutaragi, whom Harada describes as a father figure. Kutaragi’s advice helped solidify Harada’s decision to step away.

According to Harada, he has spent the last few years gradually handing off his responsibilities, worldbuilding, and narrative oversight to the Tekken team. He expressed gratitude for his broad creative career at Bandai Namco, which spanned projects such as Summer Lesson, Pokkén Tournament, and contributions to the SoulCalibur series—each offering “new discoveries and learning.”

While he will formally leave the company at the end of 2025, Harada confirmed he is expected to appear as a guest at the Tekken World Tour Finals in January 2026. As a parting gesture to the community, he also released his first and last “TEKKEN DJ-style nonstop mix”—a 60-minute music compilation he personally edited, titled “TEKKEN: A 30-Year Journey – Harada’s Final Mix.”

Harada concluded his message with a note of gratitude: “Thank you very much for everything.” He plans to share details about his next steps at a later date.