Farewell to the head of Tekken: Katsuhiro Harada announces his departure from Bandai Namco after 30 years with the franchise

2025 is proving to be a tough year for several of the most iconic figures in the video game industry, particularly in the fighting game genre. Following the sad passing of Tomonobu Itagaki in October, Katsuhiro Harada, head of Tekken, has now announced that he is leaving Bandai Namco. The announcement was made on the social media accounts of the director and producer of numerous installments of the franchise over the last 31 years, and was later officially confirmed by the game’s official account.

Katsuhiro Harada, a historic figure in Tekken, leaves Bandai Namco after more than three decades: these are his reasons

On Monday, December 8, 2025, Katsuhiro Harada announced his retirement from Bandai Namco and Tekken, the acclaimed fighting franchise to which he has devoted the last 31 years of his professional career since participating in the development of the first installment, released in 1994. The announcement came in the form of a lengthy message filled with emotion and gratitude towards both the company and the game’s fans.

“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 letter begins. Throughout the post, Harada recalled his humble beginnings “supported small local tournaments” at the company, recruiting new players in arcades, and expressing his gratitude that even after all these years and the boom in the genre, many fans treated him like an old friend, challenging him to play and even inviting him out for drinks.

Harada also reports that over the past five years, he has been gradually delegating responsibilities to facilitate the transition period and generational change at Bandai Namco. The developer also reveals something that many feared: the recent passing of Tomonobu Itagaki has influenced his decision.

Although he does not mention Tomonobu Itagaki directly or explicitly, one of his reflections leaves little room for doubt: “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.” Despite Itagaki’s harsh criticism of Harada’s work in the past, the two professed deep professional respect for each other, to the point that Harada attended the memorial service in his memory and spoke a few words in his honor.

Harada’s departure confirmed by Tekken’s official account

This message from his personal account has been backed up by a corporate statement posted on Tekken’s official social media account. The statement not only calls for calm and assures fans that the franchise will continue without Harada—confirming that the upcoming post-launch content planned for Tekken 8 will arrive as scheduled—but also announces that Harada will make a special appearance at the TEKKEN World Tour 2025 Global Finals to be held in Malmö, Sweden, on January 31 and February 1, 2026.

It should be noted that Harada’s departure from Bandai Namco and Tekken is not a definitive retirement as such, but rather a turning point in a long and fruitful professional career in the video game industry. “I’ll share more about my next steps at a later date. Thank you very much for everything,” he reveals in his post.

Tekken and Bandai Namco have lost one of the most iconic and fundamental figures of their corporate identity over the last three decades. Katsuhiro Harada was not only a key player in the development of several of the best installments in the series—such as Tekken 3 and Tekken 5—but he never forgot his public relations role.

Those who have had the pleasure of meeting him in person—including the author of this article—agree on one thing: Harada is an approachable, friendly guy who is passionate about his work. Ultimately, it’s a fact of life; Harada has decided to step aside, hand over the reins to the younger generation, and open himself up to new challenges that will once again put his enormous talent to the test.

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