Katsuhiro Harada, the game developer whose name is synonymous with the Tekken fighting game series, has announced that he will leave Bandai Namco and Tekken behind at the end of 2025. Harada had worked on Tekken since its inception in 1994.
“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,” Harada, 55, wrote on X.
Harada reminisced about promoting Tekken in arcades and at small local tournaments in the series’ early days. “I still remember carrying arcade cabinets by myself, encouraging people to ‘Please try Tekken,’ and directly facing the players right in front of me,” he said. “The conversations and atmosphere we shared in those places became the core of who I am as a developer and game creator.”
Harada said his decision was motivated by personal and professional losses in recent years — perhaps including the recent death of his arch-rival Tomonobu Itagaki. “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,” he said. “Those accumulated events made me reflect on the ‘time I have left as a creator.'”
Harada said he had consulted with Ken Kutaragi, the legendary PlayStation executive and engineer, about his decision. He said he would reveal what he’s up to next at a later date.
Harada joined Namco straight out of university and worked initially as a salesman for the arcade division. After requesting a shift into game development, he worked on Tekken from the very first game, voicing characters as well as promoting the game and eventually becoming a director starting with 1997’s Tekken 3. He soon became project lead for the Tekken series as well as a senior producer and marketeer at Bandai Namco, and is famous among fans for his big personality, sense of humor, outspoken comments, and playful rivalries with other fighting game developers.
Harada signed off by literally inviting fans to check out his Soundcloud. After threatening to DJ at tournaments for many years, he posted — “for the first and last time” — an hourlong mix of techno tunes inspired by Tekken’s banging soundtracks, “personally edited by myself.”
