Harada Announces Departure From Bandai Namco

Tekken’s top man, Katsuhiro Harada, has dropped a bombshell, announcing that he would be leaving Bandai Namco at the end of 2025 after over 30 years at the company. 

Harada released a lengthy statement on social media where he explained that as the years have gone by and he has watched many of his contemporaries either die or retire, it has made him rethink his priors regarding his time left as a creator. 

Harada has been the face of Tekken for 30 years and added in his statement that he felt calling it quits at the end of Tekken’s 30-year celebration was fitting. Harada is well-known for his closeness to the FGC and his front-facing nature, often going to events and interacting with the community in both good and bad times. 

Recently, Harada mourned the death of Tomonobu Itagaki, a long-time rival and the creator of the Dead or Alive series. Itagaki’s death seemed to really shake Harada, and considering the two were the leading lights of their generation, this seems to have caused Harada to reflect. He also noted in his statement that he took a lot of encouragement from Ken Kutaragi, popularly known as the father of PlayStation, whom he called a father figure. 

Even in difficult times such as the disastrous launch of the second season of Tekken 8, Harada, has maintained his respect in the eyes of the community and while he says that he has handed over his responsibilities over the years to others including the world building for Tekken, it is not unreasonable to wonder about the franchise’s future with its visionary going out the door. 

His statement reads in full:

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.

【Postscript】

Although I will be leaving the company at the end of 2025, Bandai Namco has asked me to appear at the TWT Finals at the end of January 2026, so I expect to attend as a guest.

For 30 years I kept saying, “I’ll do it someday,” and never once performed as a DJ at a tournament event.

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.

Listening to it brings back many memories.

Thank you again, sincerely, for all these years.

Harada hasn’t strictly said he will retire, so it will be fascinating to see what comes next for the visionary.