On Monday, December 8, 2025, Katsuhiro Harada, known for his " Tekken " series, announced that he will be retiring from his longtime employer, Namco Bandai. The announcement was made on his X (@Harada_TEKKEN ) and the official X of the "Tekken" series (@TEKKEN_Project ), and the future of the title series was also mentioned.
Katsuhiro Harada, creator of the "Tekken" series, to leave BANNAM
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…
— Katsuhiro Harada (@Harada_TEKKEN) December 8, 2025
Katsuhiro Harada, executive game director and chief producer of the "Tekken" series, joined Namco as a sales representative. In April of his second year, he was transferred to the development department, where he has since worked on the "Tekken" series, "Soul Calibur" series, "Pokken", "Summer Lesson", and other ambitious titles. He has been involved in many popular titles that have attracted game fans from all over the world.
Especially for the "Tekken" series, he has personally traveled to events around the world to interact with fans. At large-scale tournaments such as EVO, it has become a regular event for him to present the latest information and trailers to the excitement of the audience.
On Monday, December 8, 2025, Mr. Harada updated his X and announced his retirement at the end of 2025. Although the announcement came as a surprise to his fans, he said, " I consulted with Ken Kutaragi, whom I love like another father, and received his valuable advice and words of encouragement. " Over the past four to five years, I have been gradually handing over all my duties, stories, worldviews, and responsibilities to the team, and here we are today, " he said. "This has been a very systematic process.
Mr. Harada recalls thinking about his " remaining time as a developer " as he witnessed the bereavement and retirement of friends and game developers, and it is hard to imagine that his retirement will lead to his retirement as a game developer. As for his activities after 2026, we will keep an eye on his X (@Harada_TEKKEN ) and official YouTube channel " Harada's Bar ".
The "Tekken" series will continue!
The official "Tekken" series X (@TEKKEN_Project ) quoted Mr. Harada's announcement. The official X (@TEKKEN_Project) issued a statement regarding Mr. Harada's retirement and the future management of the "Tekken" series.
Katsuhiro Harada's retirement
After leading the "Tekken" series and many other projects for many years, Mr. Katsuhiro Harada has decided to leave BANDAI NAMCO and retire. This announcement comes at the end of the 30th anniversary of the "Tekken" series, which he was deeply involved in as executive director and producer. Mr. Harada's last opportunity to address the community will be at the TEKKEN World Tour 2025 Global Finals, which will be held in Malmö, Sweden on January 31 and February 1, 2026, for the final qualifying round (LCQ) and the final tournament (Top 20). Top20) will be held in Malmö, Sweden, on Sunday, March 20, 2013.
Future Management of the "Tekken" Series
We are preparing for the retirement of Mr. Harada so that there will be no impact on our future management plans and development structure, including "Tekken 8", that may cause concern to the community. We will continue to listen sincerely to the voices of our community in the spirit of dialogue that Mr. Harada has valued so much. All of us at Tekken Project will continue to do our utmost to carry on the vision and spirit that Mr. Harada established, and to further develop the "Tekken" series, which is loved by communities around the world. Thank you, Mr. Harada, for your vision over the years and for giving us the opportunity to be a part of your success.
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