Katsuhiro Harada leaves Bandai Namco

Katsuhiro Harada, the face of Tekken, has announced that he will be leaving Bandai Namco after 30 years. 

He is timing his departure to coincide with Tekken's 30th anniversary, describing it as “the most fitting moment to close a chapter” – after years of reflecting on “the time I have left as a creator.” In his farewell statement, Harada looks back on the defining moments and projects of his career at the company.

Upholding Harada's vision and spirit

Over the past four to five years, he has gradually handed over the story, world-building, and creative direction of Tekken and other projects to the current team.

Bandai Namco and the Tekken Project have reassured fans in a separate statement, saying they are “firmly committed to the future development and content plans for Tekken 8” and will continue to uphold Harada's vision and spirit.

In a final move typical of Harada, he released a 60-minute SoundCloud set entitled “TEKKEN: A 30-Year Journey – Harada's Final Mix,” finally fulfilling his decades-long running gag of DJing at a tournament someday.

Next steps will be revealed soon
Harada will continue to appear as a guest at the Tekken World Tour 2025 Global Finals in Malmö in early 2026, but has announced that he will reveal his next steps at a later date – leaving the FGC to speculate whether retirement, a new studio, or something completely unexpected will follow.

Source: https://hypebeast.com/de/2025/12/katsuhiro-harada-exits-bandai-namco-after-31-years