Katsuhiro Harada, Tekken Producer, Leaves Bandai Namco
After more than 30 years, the company and the game designer part ways
If you hear the name Katsuhiro Harada, you can't help but think of Tekken. The Japanese game designer (who recently came to Italy to participate in Game Ground 2025) has been involved in the development of the franchise since its inception, back in 1994. Starting with Tekken 3 (1997), Harada was promoted to director, thus becoming a central figure for the series. For the latest installment, Tekken 8, Harada served as executive producer.
Harada remains tight-lipped about his future
The long and glorious professional journey connecting Harada and the home of Tekken, Bandai Namco, comes to an end: with a long message on Twitter/X, the author announces that he will leave the company at the end of 2025. This is not a sudden separation: over the past 5 years, Harada has gradually transferred his responsibilities and information about the world-building he supervised to the development team.
The decision to leave Bandai Namco comes after reflecting on the time he has left as a video game author (for the record, Harada is 55 years old). However, the Japanese game designer has not announced what steps he intends to take in the future; we only know that he will participate in the Tekken World Tour finals, scheduled for late January, as a special guest.