{"id":1420405,"date":"2025-12-08T12:09:06","date_gmt":"2025-12-08T12:09:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/bQUKN992nw3DPbWG2aGTdZ"},"modified":"2025-12-08T12:09:06","modified_gmt":"2025-12-08T12:09:06","slug":"tekken-boss-announces-retirement-after-30-years-in-the-most-harada-way-imaginable-a-lengthy-social-media-post-and-hour-long-mixtape","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/arcader.org\/news\/tekken-boss-announces-retirement-after-30-years-in-the-most-harada-way-imaginable-a-lengthy-social-media-post-and-hour-long-mixtape\/","title":{"rendered":"Tekken boss announces retirement after 30 years in the most Harada way imaginable: a lengthy social media post and hour-long mixtape"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Katsuhrio Harada\u2014one of the driving forces behind Tekken and the series head honcho for the last 20 years\u2014is hanging up his fighting gloves at the end of this year.<\/p>\n

He announced his retirement in a lengthy X post<\/a>, saying that 2025 would be his final year at Bandai Namco and as the project leader on Tekken. “With the Tekken series reaching its 30th anniversary\u2014an important milestone for a project I’ve devoted much of my life to\u2014I felt this was the most fitting moment to bring one chapter to a close,” he wrote.<\/p>\n

A good chunk of the post is dedicated to his interactions with the community over the last three decades. “My roots lie in the days when I supported small local tournaments in Japanese arcades and in small halls and community centres overseas,” he said. “I still remember carrying arcade cabinets by myself, encouraging people to ‘Please try Tekken,’ and directly facing the players right in front of me.”<\/p>\n

Harada said that those experiences “became the core of who I am as a developer and game creator,” something which continued even as both Tekken and the FGC at large grew bigger. “Many of you continued to treat me like an old friend\u2014challenging me at venues, inviting me out for drinks at bars,” he wrote. “Those memories are deeply precious to me.”<\/p>\n

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I\u2019d like to share that I\u2019ll be leaving Bandai Namco at the end of 2025.With the TEKKEN series reaching its 30th anniversary\u2014an important milestone for a project I\u2019ve devoted much of my life to\u2014I felt this was the most fitting moment to bring one chapter to a close.My roots lie\u2026December 8, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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As for his retirement, he wrote that numerous factors are at play\u2014the loss of “several close personal friends” and witnessing “the retirement or passing of many senior colleagues whom I deeply respect.”<\/p>\n

I can only assume one of the people Harada is talking about is Dead or Alive creator Tomonobu Itagaki, who passed away in October<\/a> at the age of 58. At the time, Harada posted to X<\/a>, saying: “To think that he’s gone at just 58 years old\u2026 Yes, everyone dies eventually\u2026 that’s inevitable. But you\u2026 isn’t it a bit too soon?”<\/p>\n

Apparently, Harada even went to former PlayStation boss Ken Kutaragi for advice, writing that “His words quietly supported me in making this decision.”<\/p>\n

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\"Tekken<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>

(Image credit: Leon Bennett via Getty.)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

His post continues to say that he’s been in the business of slowly handing off responsibilities for half a decade now, concluding: “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.”<\/p>\n

It is kind of wild to see Harada finally departing. It’s difficult to think of a Tekken without him, and despite the fact that Tekken 8<\/a> has been in pretty rough shape in the last year, it’ll still be a damn shame to see him go. His close involvement with the community\u2014including always having an ear close to the ground in Western territories\u2014made him stand out among other Japanese fighting game developers.<\/p>\n

Aside from a very <\/em>lengthy Harada-style social media post, he’s also gone ahead and dropped a mix on Soundcloud<\/a> called “TEKKEN: A 30-Year Journey \u2013 Harada’s Final Mix,” an hour-long musical homage to his career. I have been listening to it while writing this, and yeah, it’s pretty damn good. <\/em><\/p>\n