Tekken legend Harada leaving Bandai Namco after 30 years of service, peaces out with a sick, hour-long Soundcloud mix

Mr. Tekken himself, Katsuhiro Harada, has announced that he is leaving Bandai Namco after 30 years of service. Harada, who has been an outspoken and passionate figurehead for Tekken 8 in recent times, also worked on dozens of other Bandai games, including the SoulCalibur series, Tales of Arise, Code Vein, and more. He has confirmed that he is leaving the company at the end of this year, and is giving players one final gift - a 60-minute Tekken mix on Soundcloud. And you know what? It slaps.

Harada has worked on every Tekken game ever produced, working his way up to become the executive producer of the most recent entry, Tekken 8, and contributing hugely to Bandai's fighting games esports charge. However, after three decades of working at Bandai, he's moving on. In a statement posted to X, Harada reflects on his career and calls the 30th anniversary of Tekken "the most fitting moment to bring one chapter to a close." His reasoning, however, extends beyond just hitting a huge milestone.

"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 writes. "Those accumulated events made me reflect on the 'time I have left as a creator.' During that period, I sought advice from Ken Kutaragi [the former Sony Interactive Entertainment CEO] - whom I respect as though he were another father - and received invaluable encouragement and guidance. His words quietly supported me in making this decision."

Harada says that over the last "four or five years" he has "gradually handed over all of my responsibilities, as well as the stories and worldbuilding I oversaw, to the team" at Bandai. In a statement from the company following Harada's announcement, it expresses its "deepest gratitude" to Harada, but also quickly calms any concerns about the future of Tekken 8.

"To our fans, rest assured that we are fully committed to future development and content plans for Tekken 8," Bandai's message reads. "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."

To mark his departure, Harada has a final treat for fans. "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." I stuck it on while writing this story up, and I have to say, it goes hard. Titled "Tekken: A 30-Year Journey - Harada's Final Mix," you can listen to it below.

While Harada will hang up his Bandai boots at the end of 2025, he has also stated that he expects to make a guest appearance at the Tekken World Tour Finals in Malmo, Sweden, at the end of January 2026.

While there may still be in-development projects that Harada has been involved in, as things stand, his most recent credit for Bandai was on the 2D platformer Shadow Labyrinth, which came out in July of this year. Other development credits over the years include Pokken Tournament, the Street Fighter X Tekken crossover game, and the Ace Combat series.