{"id":708358,"date":"2026-06-01T13:55:08","date_gmt":"2026-06-01T13:55:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/708358\/"},"modified":"2026-06-01T13:55:08","modified_gmt":"2026-06-01T13:55:08","slug":"following-haradas-exit-tekken-8-has-now-also-lost-its-game-director","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/708358\/","title":{"rendered":"Following Harada’s Exit, Tekken 8 Has Now Also Lost its Game Director"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Following<\/a> Image: Push Square<\/p>\n

There’s a lot of movement around Tekken 8<\/a> at the moment, whether that’s the game itself or the people working on it.<\/p>\n

Most notably, Tekken legend Katsuhiro Harada left<\/a> Bandai Namco not too long ago, and now, game director Kohei Ikeda, is following suit.<\/p>\n

Announcement:
After 20 incredible years, I have left Bandai Namco Studios.
Thank you all for your support.<\/p>\n

\u3010\u3054\u5831\u544a\u3011
\u30d0\u30f3\u30c0\u30a4\u30ca\u30e0\u30b3\u30b9\u30bf\u30b8\u30aa\u3092\u9000\u8077\u3044\u305f\u3057\u307e\u3057\u305f\u300220\u5e74\u9593\u3001\u672c\u5f53\u306b\u3042\u308a\u304c\u3068\u3046\u3054\u3056\u3044\u307e\u3057\u305f\u3002#TEKKEN<\/a> #TEKKEN8<\/a> #\u9244\u62f38<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/3Xip9DOy5z<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Kohei Ikeda\uff08Nakatsu\uff09 (@nkt_dreamer) June 1, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

With 20 years at the publisher under his belt, he’s been working on the fighting game series for a long time, but has decided now’s the time to call it quits.<\/p>\n

In his statement, Ikeda recalls getting his start with Soulcalibur IV<\/a> before moving onto the Tekken series, eventually becoming game director of Tekken 7<\/a> as well as 8.<\/p>\n

“Being surrounded by passionate and incredibly talented mentors and colleagues, and dedicating ourselves wholeheartedly to game development together, remains one of the most cherished experiences of my life,” he writes.<\/p>\n

“While my role leading the team as Game Director is coming to a close, the values that both I personally and the Tekken Project have always cherished staying close to the fans and the community and building the game together with everyone will never change.<\/p>\n

I have entrusted those values, and that baton, to the incredible team that will continue shaping the future of Tekken.”<\/p>\n

The game itself has been through some tough times, with major updates upsetting the game’s balance.<\/p>\n

It’s starting to recover now, with recent patches going a long way to rein in the overly aggressive gameplay and Heat system.<\/p>\n

As mentioned, Harada left just a few months ago too. He’s now heading up a new team<\/a>, VS Studio, at SNK.<\/p>\n

Are you surprised to see Ikeda leave Bandai Namco? Tell us in the comments section below.<\/p>\n