Tekken Director Katsuhiro Harada is leaving Bandai Namco at the end of the year

For 30 years now, Katsuhiro Harada has helped shape Bandai Namco’s iconic Tekken franchise into what it is today. Known for his personality and dedication to fans, Harada has easily become the face of the Tekken franchise. After 3 decades working on the series however, Harada has officially announced that he is leaving Bandai Namco and Tekken.

Making the surprise announcement on Twitter, Katsuhiro Harada revealed that he will soon be departing from Bandai Namco, writing:

“I'd like to share that I'll be leaving Bandai Namco at the end of 2025. With the TEKKEN series reaching its 30th anniversary—an important milestone for a project I've devoted much of my life to—I felt this was the most fitting moment to bring one chapter to a close.”

The full post is rather lengthy and goes into greater depth regarding this decision, including having “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.”

Harada has not yet shared his plans for the future, stating that he will “share more about my next steps at a later date.”

The official Tekken page also shared the news, releasing a message thanking Harada for his decades of work while assuring fans that “we are fully committed to future development and content plans for Tekken 8”. The full statement can be found HERE.

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KitGuru says: What do you think of the announcement? Are you surprised by the news? What do you hope is next in store for Harada? Let us know down below.

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