Tekken has been a household name for fighting games for the past three decades. However, the series is losing a key role player in the franchise. Katsuhiro Harada announced earlier today on X that he would be leaving Bandai Namco by the end of 2025.

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

“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.”

Harada went on to say that all of these experiences “became the core of who I am as a developer and game creator.” He then expressed his gratitude further stating. “Many of you continued to treat me like an old friend—challenging me at venues, inviting me out for drinks at bars,” and he wrote. “Those memories are deeply precious to me.”

After 30 years of working on Tekken, Harada shared that in recent years he has lost several close friends and witnessed the retirement or passing of many senior colleagues. Harada gave himself time to reflect on the time he has left in his own life to pursue with his own endeavors. To end his departure post from Bandai Namco, Katsuhiro Harada released a 60 minute long DJ-style nonstop mix.

“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)”

In 1998, Harada worked on Tekken 3 as director and the game saw massive success, selling over 8 million copies worldwide. The game became the original Play Station’s fifth best selling game ahead of the like of Tomb Raider, Metal Gear Solid and Resident Evil 2.

Tekken 8 did receive an award during The 2024 Game Awards for Best Fighting Game, but with the exit of Harada the Tekken franchise might find themselves in a cumbersome position. As of February 2025, Tekken 8 has sold 3 million copies since it’s release. According to Bandai Namco the game was selling at a faster rate compared to Tekken 7, however there is yet to be an update from the company since.

Since Harada is not leaving until the end of 2025 there is no say to who will be taking over in his absence. The official Tekken X account posted their own statement about the departure.

A message from the #TEKKEN8 team. https://t.co/ae7j5xzaeb pic.twitter.com/G3mNIQ15Y0

— TEKKEN (@TEKKEN) December 8, 2025

Although this will not be the last time we will hear from Harada. In his post he announced that he will still be in attendance at the Tekken World Tour Finals to show his support as a guest. The event will take place in Malmö, Sweden from January 29 – February 1, 2026.