https://www.gematsu.com/2025/12/katsuhiro-harada-to-leave-bandai-namco-after-more-than-31-years

Here is the full message from Harada on his departure:

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 a “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), Pokken 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 [Tekken] World Tournament 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.

Bandai Namco also shared the following message regarding Harada’s departure and the future of the Tekken series:

Regarding the Departure of Katsuhiro Harada

Katsuhiro Harada, who has long led numerous projects including the Tekken series, will be leaving Bandai Namco. This comes as the Tekken series finishes celebrating its 30th anniversary, a milestone he deeply contributed to as executive director and executive producer on the franchise. Harada-san is making an appearance and meeting with the Tekken community at the “Tekken World Tour 2025 Global Finals” Last Chance Qualifier (LCQ) and Top 20 Finals, held in Malmo, Sweden, on January 31 and February 1, 2026.

Regarding the Future of the Tekken Series

To our fans, rest assured that we are fully committed to future development and content plans for Tekken 8. We will continue to take community feedback on the game and its content to heart to ensure that we uphold the vision and spirit built by Harada-san, dedicating our utmost efforts to ensure the legacy of the Tekken series continues as a fighting game franchise beloved worldwide.

We express our deepest gratitude to Harada-san for providing us with vision and continued success over the years.

Apparently, He is taking Itagaki's death very hard.

Whatever the case may be, I hope he come back with his Magnum Opus project. He did say not to long ago about he wanted more 3D fighters in the market.

I wonder if he'll end up somewhere else or will move to doing other things.

One of the biggest names for the fighting games genre.

It would be cool if Sega brought him on board to consult on Virtua Fighter to make it as big as it should be. That series deserves more respect than it gets. 

I think that VF will get everything it needs from the YAKUZA team. If he joins any company, I would prefer to see join Hideki Kamiya at CLOVERS or Itsuno at his place. It's ore likely that hell start his own "thing". "Thing" may not be a game company though.