Tekken's game director follows in Harada's footsteps by saying sayonara to Bandai Namco, causing fans to worry about the game's future

After long-time Tekken boss Katsuhiro Harada departed Bandai Namco last year—having now started up his own studio under SNK—the game director behind the last two entries is now following in his footsteps.

Kohei "Nakatsu" Ikeda has been with the developer for 20 years, first joining the team behind Soulcalibur 4 before eventually becoming the game director for both Tekken 7 and Tekken 8. Nakatsu announced his departure with a lengthy message over on his X account. "Sharing excitement, celebrating together, and spending unforgettable moments with you all became one of the greatest treasures of my life," he said.

"There were joyful moments, and many difficult ones as well. There were times when we celebrated together, and times when I received passionate criticism and encouragement. Yet every one of those moments helped push both myself and the Tekken Project forward."

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It seems as though Nakatsu doesn't intend to exit the industry entirely, ending his message with: "As I look forward to the future of Tekken and the FGC, I will also continue taking on new challenges as a game developer. I hope our paths cross again someday."

His departure continues to whittle down Tekken's top brass—producer Michael Murray remains as one of the most visible faces of the series, along with director Yasuki Nakabayashi. Though I certainly wouldn't be surprised if, a few months from now, Murray also walks away from the company.

It's a real shame to see both Nakatsu and Harada's absence for a game that has been so shaped by both of them. I'm sure that Tekken 8 hasn't been an easy game for either of them—bombshell microtransactions that only emerged weeks after launch with no prior notice and caused a huge upset. A near-universally panned second season which plagued the game for an entire year as fans lamented a further push into an already-criticsed aggressive playstyle. Season 3 got off on an equally bad foot after it felt like Bamco wasn't holding up its "back to basics" promise, but recent patches have begun to turn the tides back in the game's favour.

Whether Tekken 8's rocky first years influenced Nakatsu and Harada's decisions to skedaddle or if it's all coincidence, it's understandably causing a little concern for Tekken's future regardless. Seeing two of its biggest figures gone feels like the end of an era. Fresh faces could end up being exactly what the fighter needs, but for now? It's a bit of a bummer.