Chris

@Harada_TEKKEN I understand now

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 “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), Pokkén 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 TWT 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. ‘TEKKEN: A 30-Year Journey – Harada’s Final Mix’ by Katsuhiro Harada 1 is on #SoundCloud on.soundcloud.com/pEYofA4yXOwyC7… December 8, 2025 - The Final Day of TEKKEN’s 30th Anniversary - Katsuhiro Harada [日本語版 (Japanese version)] このたび、2025年末をもちまして、私はバンダイナムコを退職することにいたしました。 長く携わってきた『鉄拳』シリーズが30周年という大きな節目を迎え、ひとつの区切りとして最もふさわしい時期であると考えたためです。 私の原点は、日本のゲームセンターや、海外コミュニティの小さな講堂やコミュニティセンターで、まだ小規模なトーナメントをサポートしていた時代にあります。 アーケード筐体を自ら運び込み、「鉄拳もぜひ遊んでみてほしい」と声をかけながら、目の前の参加者と向き合った日々。 あの場で交わした言葉や空気が、私という開発者の核を形作りました。 時代が変化しても、あの経験が自分の中心にあります。 そしてトーナメントシーンが大きく成長した後も、皆さんは旧知の友人のように私に声をかけ、会場で対戦したり、バーで『一緒に飲もう』と誘ってくれました。 それらもまた、大切な思い出です。 ここ数年間、私生活においては友人達との死別があり、仕事においては、私が尊敬する多くの先輩方の引退や逝去に触れてきました。 そうした出来事の積み重ねが、私に『開発者として残された時間』について考える契機を与えました。 その過程で、私がもう一人の父親のように敬愛する久夛良木健さんにも相談し、貴重な助言と励ましのお言葉をいただきました。 この言葉もまた、今回の決断を静かに後押しするものとなりました。 そして、この4〜5年をかけて私の担ってきたすべての業務やストーリーや世界観、そして責務をチームに段階的に引き継ぎ、今日に至ります。 振り返れば、VR作品（サマーレッスンなど）や『ポッ拳』、ソウルキャリバーシリーズをはじめ、自社他社問わず数多くのプロジェクトに携わる機会に恵まれました。 いずれのプロジェクトも新しい発見と学びに満ち、かけがえのない経験となりました。 これまで支えてくださった皆様、世界中のコミュニティの皆様、そして長年ともに歩んできた仲間たちに深く感謝申し上げます。 次の歩みについては、改めて皆様にお伝えいたします。 これからも、どうぞよろしくお願いいたします。 +あとがき 2025年末をもって退職致しますが、2026年1月末のTWT FINALには顔を出してほしいと会社からお願いされていることもあり、FINALにはゲストとして顔を出すと思います。 これまで30年間『いつかやるよ』と言い続けてやってこなかったトーナメントイベントでのDJですが、その代わりとして“最初で最後のDJ風60分ノンストップ鉄拳ミックス（私による初編集DJ mix）”も、今回のポストに合わせて公開します。 ‘TEKKEN: A 30-Year Journey – Harada’s Final Mix’ by Katsuhiro Harada 1 is on #SoundCloud on.soundcloud.com/pEYofA4yXOwyC7… 様々な思い出が蘇ります。改めて皆さんありがとうございました。 2025年12月8日 - 鉄拳30周年最終日 - Katsuhiro Harada

@geoffkeighley oops

@EmessSFW ai?

Dia - The First Descendant

@sergio103040 @NeiNeiYAGI lol

@NeiNeiYAGI TODAY FOR SURE

This image is like a curse left by SONY for bloodborne fans

@Konahrik8675309 @patrician_tv based

It's true: they deleted male V from my copy of CP

@HideWorksGames isometric only?

You will like my indie game if you played these games: - Resident Evil 2☂️ - Silent Hill 2👩‍⚕️ - Signalis📻 - The Evil Within⛓️

@KitsuyaNoire "they include everyone except the people who are ideologically opposed to that" weird

Hot take: The VTuber community preaches 'diversity and inclusion' nonstop, but it's a total echo chamber left-wing or super progressive views get endless claps and collabs, while anything right-of-center or even moderate conservative instantly triggers hate mobs, cancellations, and 'no collab' lists. Real friends and a healthy scene should let VTubers have wildly different political opinions without torching relationships. Grow up, true diversity means tolerating views you disagree with, not demanding everyone thinks the same.

@GFuelEnergy I DEMAND prickly pear 2.0. Unlicensed so I can order it from europe :(

What flavor should we bring back in 2026?

@LaJoule_ASMR @kau_toriumi moai

#LaJouleCosplay🗿 メンバーシップ限定動画公開！！ 【鳥海かう】タイツの衣擦れ音聞かせてあげます♪【ASMR / 4K】 youtu.be/NxsBoTfdFe0?si…

@Will0thew1sp @badrechicken she seems so gentle

@badrechicken I used to work at a petting zoo and this lady loved to sit in my lap and hands. Vappu I miss you so much

i like when chickens do this silly squint

@Frown08 @scorpiyeux gotta launch them bitches who hold back with df3+4. establish dominance early

@scorpiyeux F2, 4 is 12 despite people putting it here. But I'm ngl I use that shit to punish everything

Name 2 of her 13 frame punishers rn

@wmvnotmp4 @feydemon @Evalyay it was, in the sense that I would have accepted someone to pay me $60 to waste my time on playing this tripe because it was at least just an overproduced downgrade from the original instead of offensively bad like re8 or 3 remake

@CS31097 @feydemon @Evalyay Ur buggin if you don't think re4 remake was worth $60

Hard pill to swallow that games just cost damn near a hundred bucks each now

@feydemon @Evalyay i.e. not in the slightest? probably

@Evalyay not always the case im sure re9 will be well worth the money the same way re4 remake was

@Ashendrought @IVANM31 @CorenLaVolpe that's resuscitation, you're thinking of planting trees in a place where many were cut down

@IVANM31 @CS31097 @CorenLaVolpe that's deliberation, you're thinking of stabilising someone's erratic heart

A character wanting to be something that they currently aren't isn't a trans allegory, it's a fucking universal human urge anyone can relate to. It's called "aspiration"

@Ashendrought @IVANM31 @CorenLaVolpe that's devastation, you're thinking of the final goal of a trip

@CS31097 @IVANM31 @CorenLaVolpe that's investigation, you're thinking of complete destruction

@Sliider3 @ShiftUpWorld A looks better, B is too cartqoonish

@ShiftUpWorld why not throw an actual poll in the thread? ffs i'll never understand why ppl ask questions like this, then expect everyone to answer individually. we can't see the results. B

Quick poll to gamers #4! 🛑 🎮 🔸Question: If you had to choose a game to play based solely on its 3D models, which of the two images below piques your interest the most?? A) = Left B) = Right C) = Both! 🔸Would love to know your preference in the replies! 👀📝

@IVANM31 @Ashendrought @CorenLaVolpe that's desperation, you're thinking of people who try to figure out who committed a crime

@CS31097 @Ashendrought @CorenLaVolpe that's inspiration, you're thinking of the feeling of hopelessness

@debar_fx @manuukenya rhegma balls

@manuukenya It's called 'eye boogers'. They're a mix of mucus, dead cells, and debris that accumulate overnight. Nothing to be ashamed of, it's a normal thing! In medical terms, it's called 'rhegma' or 'ocular discharge'.

Students of english what do we call that thing that comes out from our eye in the morning I'm tired of pretending.

@Ashendrought @CorenLaVolpe that's respiration, you're thinking of sweating

@CorenLaVolpe I'm waiting for the "ummmm ackshully" types to inform you that "ackshully aspiration is just BREATHING bigot"

@NexusSites "on sight"?

rip to unmodded cyberpunk. five years have passed since the community tore the base game apart on sight.