Tag: Katsuhiro Harada

The creator of Tekken leaves Bandai Namco

Katsuhiro Harada, the iconic creator of the Tekken saga, has announced his departure from Bandai Namco, scheduled for the end of 2025, for personal and professional reasons. Harada has been the central figure of Tekken since its debut in 1994, revolutionizing gameplay mechanics and establishing a deep cultural connection with fans worldwide. His legacy has defined the identity of the game and evoked a unique style in modern fighting games. What will become of the Tekken saga without him? Harada shared his decision through social media, mentioning personal reflections stemming from the loss of […]

Katsuhiro Harada, the iconic creator of the Tekken saga, has announced his departure from Bandai Namco, scheduled for the end of 2025, for personal and professional reasons. Harada has been the central figure of Tekken since its debut in 1994, revolutionizing gameplay mechanics and establishing a deep cultural connection with fans worldwide. His legacy has defined the identity of the game and evoked a unique style in modern fighting games.

What will happen to the Tekken saga without him?

Harada shared his decision through social media, mentioning personal reflections stemming from the loss of friends and colleagues in the industry. The absence of significant figures, such as his historic rival Tomonobu Itagaki, led him to consider his own paths and futures, indicating that it is time to close this chapter of his life at the age of 55.

Starting in 2026, Harada will attend events related to Tekken as a guest, marking a new era for the franchise under new leadership. Despite his departure, his influence will endure in a game that has managed to balance innovation and tradition, an aspect that will now depend on Bandai Namco. The company has expressed its intention to continue expanding the franchise, reinforcing the competitive aspect of Tekken 8, which has been a success both in sales and popularity.

However, the transition raises questions about how Tekken will maintain its connection with its fan base, given that Harada has been a bridge between Japan and the global community. Bandai Namco will need to demonstrate that the essence of Tekken will be preserved, while future developments and content are expected to continue attracting players. As the saga progresses, the future of Tekken promises to be both a challenge and an opportunity to reinvent itself without losing the magic that has made this franchise a benchmark in video games.

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The creator of Dead or Alive and the reboot of Ninja Gaiden passes away at the age of 58

Tomonobu Itagaki, a renowned Japanese video game creator, passed away at the age of 58. His death was announced through a heartfelt message on his Facebook account, where he expressed his pride in having fought until the end, lamenting that he could not offer new games to his followers. “I am filled with sadness for not having been able to provide new works to all my fans. I’m sorry,” he said in a message that resonated with the struggle of his life and career. Tomonobu Itagaki is a video game legend, famous for his contributions to video game culture, he was responsible […]

Tomonobu Itagaki, a renowned Japanese video game creator, passed away at the age of 58. His death was announced through a heartfelt message on his Facebook account, where he expressed his pride in having fought until the end, lamenting not being able to offer new games to his followers. “I am filled with sadness for not being able to provide new works to all my fans. I’m sorry,” he said in a message that resonated with the struggle of his life and career.

Tomonobu Itagaki is a video game legend

Itagaki, famous for his contributions to video game culture, was responsible for iconic franchises like Dead or Alive and Ninja Gaiden, which helped define the action genre and the aesthetics of the early 2000s. His provocative style made him a controversial figure, but undeniably influential in the industry. Throughout his career, he stood out for his ability to challenge his competitors, establishing a friendship and rivalry with Katsuhiro Harada, creator of Tekken. Harada expressed his sadness and surprise at Itagaki’s departure, recalling shared moments and the hope for a reunion.

Despite his success at Team Ninja, Itagaki drifted away from glory after leaving the company. His last major project, Devil’s Third, for Wii U, did not achieve the expected success and was a significant blow to his career. Subsequently, Itagaki founded Valhalla Games and worked on several projects, including an NFT-based game titled Warrior, of which there is not much information available.

The departure of Tomonobu Itagaki marks the twilight of a star in the world of video games. However, his legacy will endure, as titles like Ninja Gaiden and Dead or Alive continue to be celebrated by fans. His legacy will be honored by reviving and enjoying his masterpieces. Rest in peace, Master Itagaki.

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Everyone will be able to play Tekken 8, assures its producer

Todo el mundo va a poder jugar a Tekken 8, asegura su productor, ya que no habrá ningún impedimento para que sea accesible para todo el mundo

Accessibility is a topic that we consider very important in the world of video games. That everyone can play video games as they have been conceived, regardless of their abilities, is a task that should always be welcomed and embraced. That’s why we always try to highlight when studios make this kind of effort. Because it is something that benefits everyone, not just those who need these features.

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The latest game to introduce accessibility options has been Tekken 8. Although the game demo was released on December 21st, it wasn’t until recently that the news broke. The game not only had accessibility options, but they were generously deep and intelligent. With several fully optional Color Support options, the game allows you to change the aesthetics of the game so that people with visual impairments can enjoy it without any issues.

When the topic started to be discussed, one person decided to comment on it in depth: Katsuhiro Harada, producer of Tekken. Since he is someone who usually comments on game development topics, he has decided to provide some more insights into the development of these accessibility options. Because this is not something that emerged for Tekken 8. These options were previously developed for a Tekken 7 trial version that included accessibility options that were not implemented in the game. Something they decided to implement, once polished, in the next installment of the franchise.

The accessibility options of this class have become much more common in the last couple of years than they were when Tekken 7 came out in 2015. This year, its direct competitor, Street Fighter 6, has added a sound-based accessibility option so that players with visual impairments can play without any problem. Therefore, it is expected that we will continue to see more news of this kind during 2024.

Tekken 8 will be released on January 26, 2024 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, and PC. Meanwhile, the demo, including Color Support options, is already available on those same platforms.

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The producer of Tekken comments on how it has been to create one of the new characters of the franchise

The producer of Tekken comments on how creating one of the new characters in the franchise has been, going into very specific details about it.

There was a time when Japanese creators were hermetic, practically unreachable. Even if people like Miyamoto gave interviews from time to time, it was a rare occurrence. Fortunately, this happens less and less. Japanese creatives are becoming more open, more willing to talk, and that gives us a greater perspective on a side of the industry that has always been more opaque. Something that gives us an interesting perspective on some of our favorite video games.

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Katsuhiro Harada, producer of Tekken, has always been a prominent figure within the Japanese industry, but even more so since he has his own Youtube channel, Harada’s Bar. And in one of his latest videos, he has explained how the creation of one of the new characters of Tekken 8, the Peruvian Azucena, has been.

One of the most interesting things about the character is that she was created in response to the popularity of the Tekken franchise in South America. While being aware of their huge fan base in Brazil, they also noticed that there were many game lovers in Peru, particularly of Kazuya Mishima. That, along with their interest in the Nazca lines, made them want to develop a character from those lands.

Another interesting thing that this video has shown us is a glimpse into how the characters are developed. The team usually starts with a fighting style and then creates a personality around it, but with Azucena it has been the opposite. It has been the other way around.

Harada explains that he was reading anthropological studies about the Peruvian character, which led him to conceive a very specific character. A happy girl, who was always dancing, and that led him to conceive her fighting style. Very flexible and lively, like Azucena herself. Something in contrast to the initial idea of the team, who wanted the character to practice a type of boxing typical of the country.

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This has not only shed light on how Tekken characters are designed, but it has also served to show how grateful Harada is to create characters from different parts of the world. Highlighting how characters from generally overlooked ethnic backgrounds have been warmly received by those communities.

Tekken 8 will be released on January 26th on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, and PC. And if you want to know more, Harada has a lot more to say about Azucena in the video itself.

Respecting the Craft: Tekken Producer Condemns Threats to Developers, Impacts on Games

The Tekken producer has had enough of the humorous threats on Twitter and has decided to explain, very clearly, why people should avoid them.

Let’s state the obvious: no one likes threats. They are not funny. They are not funny. It’s a terrible habit of social networks to have trivialized threats, whether for comedy or as a legitimate way to show dissent, and it’s something that should never happen. Anyone with a public profile and exposure to social networks knows what it’s like to have regular threats, and so it should come as no surprise that the producer of Tekken has decided to step up and say enough is enough.

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Katsuhiro Harada, producer and the most representative person of the Tekken franchise, has shared on X, the social network formerly known as Twitter, a message where he includes the capture of a fan’s message. In it, he said that if he did not include Eddy Gordo in Tekken 8, a capoeira fighter who has appeared regularly in the franchise, he would hit him with a Burning Hammer. Also known as the inverted Death Valley driver, a move created by legendary wrestler Kenta Kobashi, which he only used seven times in his career, and which is rarely used in professional wrestling because it is considered very dangerous due to the ease with which it is possible to injure or worse the person to whom it is applied.

While the fan intended to be funny, as the Burning Hammer is one of King’s most lethal moves – a Tekken character with a tiger head and whose fighting style is professional wrestling – Harada was not amused. And he has used it to explain the consequences of this kind of message.

According to Harada, when these kinds of threats are made, several things can happen. If there is an event nearby that you have to attend, the event manager may take the threats seriously and increase security, increasing the cost of the event, or even cancel your participation in the event. It is also possible that, if the lawyers, founders or board members hear about it, they may ask you not to include specifically what you have been threatened about precisely because they do not like to be intimidated. And if, in addition, the person speaks in the first person plural, implying that it is not just their opinion, but that of the entire community, it makes it more likely that all of the above will occur.

This fan was communicating using some social media language, but the consequences outside of social media are very real. And this is how Harada conveys them. No one likes to be threatened, and when we are talking about people with certain power or responsibility, that can lead to decisions that have negative repercussions not only for the person who is threatening, but for the entire community. Even if he was joking. So let’s listen to Harada: no threats, not even as a joke.

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