Tekken lead Katsuhiro Harada is leaving Bandai Namco at the end of this year, bows out with hour-long DJ mix

"I felt this was the most fitting moment to bring one chapter to a close"

Long-time Tekken director, producer, and general advocate for the virtual graps Katsuhiro Harada has announced he's leaving Bandai Nanco at the close of 2025. Harada's opted to step away as the fighting series turns 30, though he does have one more guest appearance at the Tekken World Tour finals lined up early next year. He's also released an hour-long DJ mix on Soundcloud to commemorate the occasion, making up for the fact he never got around to DJing live at a Tekken tournament.

"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," the developer announced on Twitter.

"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 added "Those accumulated events made me reflect on the 'time I have left as a creator'. During that period, I sought advice from [former Sony Computer Entertainment CEO] 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."

Harada added that he's spent the past five years or so gradually handing over all of his responsibilities, as well as custodianship of Tekken's stories and world, to the rest of Bandai's Tekken team.

Bandai Namco have put out a statement on behalf of Tekken 8's developers, thanking Harada and assuring players "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," that statement continues.

Heading back to Harada's goodbye post, the veteran developer wrote that he'll share more info about his next steps "at a later date". For now, he left things off by sharing an hour-long DJ mix he's created and popped on Soundcloud. "For 30 years I kept saying, 'I’ll do it someday,' and never once performed as a DJ at a tournament event," the dev explained. "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."

You can give the DJ mix, dubbed 'TEKKEN: A 30-Year Journey – Harada’s Final Mix' here. I can confirm the first five minutes are very funky.