Tekken-pappan lämnar Bandai Namco efter 30 år

Efter tre decennier bakom rodret till Tekken-serien så har den 55-årige legenden Katsuhiro Harada bestämt sig för att lämna Bandai Namco. På sociala medier beskrev han det hela som en personlig och professionell slutpunkt på detta kapitel av sitt liv. Ett beslut som växt fram inom honom efter att ha bevittnat flera nära vänner och gamla tongivande kollegor pensionera sig eller gå bort.

Harada nämner även att han konsulterade ingen mindre än Ken Kutaragi kring beslutet, dvs "Playstations pappa", och som tydligen gav honom sitt stöd. Samtidigt stänger han inte heller dörren helt. Han vill inte pensionera sig ännu utan lovar istället att avslöja framtidsplanerna lite senare.

Harada har under senare år varit öppet frustrerad över hur Bandai Namco internt har varit strukturerat och fungerat, samt de många utmaningar det skapat för utvecklingen av Tekken. Det ska bland annat ha lett till flera rätt infekterade konflikter kring DLC till Tekken 8 och hur man kommunicerat med fans. Harada är även självkritisk och medger att situationen gjorde honom likgiltig och passiv.

I ett farväl till sina kollegor och fans så tackade han alla, och speciellt de som behandlat honom mer som en vän snarare än en kollega eller producent. Harada beskriver sin resa som fylld av lärdomar, men att det också är rätt tid att göra något nytt och gå vidare. Nedan kan du läsa hans fullständiga avsked.

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. My roots lie in the days when I supported small local tournaments in Japanese arcades and in small halls and community centers overseas. I still remember carrying arcade cabinets by myself, encouraging people to "Please try TEKKEN," and directly facing the players right in front of me.

The conversations and atmosphere we shared in those places became the core of who I am as a developer and game creator. Even as the times changed, those experiences have remained at the center of my identity. And even after the tournament scene grew much larger, many of you continued to treat me like an old friend—challenging me at venues, inviting me out for drinks at bars. Those memories are also deeply precious to me. In recent years, I 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. Those accumulated events made me reflect on the "time I have left as a creator."

During that period, I sought advice from Ken Kutaragi—whom I respect as though he were another father—and received invaluable encouragement and guidance. His words quietly supported me in making this decision. Over the past four to five years, I've gradually handed over all of my responsibilities, as well as the stories and worldbuilding I oversaw, to the team, bringing me to the present day. Looking back, I was fortunate to work on an extraordinary variety of projects—VR titles (such as Summer Lesson), Pokkén Tournament, the SoulCalibur series, and many others, both inside and outside the company.

Each project was full of new discoveries and learning, and every one of them became an irreplaceable experience for me. To everyone who has supported me, to communities around the world, and to all the colleagues who have walked alongside me for so many years, I offer my deepest gratitude. I'll share more about my next steps at a later date.

Thank you very much for everything.