Longtime Tekken Director And Producer Katsuhiro Harada Is Leaving Bandai Namco

Longtime Tekken director and series producer Katsuhiro Harada has announced that he will leave Bandai Namco at the end of 2025. Harada, known for his work not only on Tekken but also on the SoulCalibur series, Pokkén Tournament, and more, says he wanted to mark Tekken's 30th Anniversary as a major milestone before moving on. He will depart at year's end but has been invited by the publisher to appear at the Tekken World Tour Finals at the end of January as a guest. In conjunction with the news, Harada released "TEKKEN: A 30-Year Journey – Harada's Final Mix" on SoundCloud, expressing his wish to DJ at a tournament, a dream he hasn't had the chance to fulfill until now. "So instead, I will be releasing – for the first and last time – a 60-minute Tekken DJ-style nonstop mix (DJ mix), personally edited by myself, together with this announcement," Harada wrote in a post on X. Listening to it brings back many memories. Thank you again, sincerely, for all these years.

Harada's message also touches on his love for arcade fighting games, his long journey with Tekken, and the guidance he received from mentor Ken Kutaragi, the former CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment, who is often called "The Father of PlayStation." Harada notes that Kutaragi's words quietly supported him in making this decision. Tekken's official statement reinforces these changes, emphasizing the franchise's continued development and its commitment to listening to the community to preserve Harada's vision and the series' legacy as a beloved fighting game.

The Tekken World Tour 2025 Global Finals Last Chance Qualifier and Top 20 finals, scheduled for January 31–February 1, 2026 in Malmo, Sweden, will feature Harada's appearance as a guest. Harada's Tekken journey began as a voice actor for Marshall Law, Yoshimitsu, and Kunimitsu in the original Tekken. He continued voicing characters and directing through Tekken 3 in 1997, later serving as a creative lead on the series up to Tekken 8 in 2024. Game Informer's review of Tekken 8 is available for readers seeking more context on the franchise's evolution. Do you have a favorite Harada memory? Share it in the comments below.