Tekken 8 director Kohei Ikeda leaves Bandai Namco after 20 years

Kohei Ikeda, the producer and director behind recent Tekken entries, announced on Monday that his role as Tekken 8’s game director is coming to a close and that he has officially left Bandai Namco after 20 years. His statement was posted on X in the early hours of June 1.

Ikeda said he was deeply proud to have worked with people who poured their hearts into the games, and he wrote that the values the Tekken Project has long cherished — staying close to fans and building the game with the community — will never change. He added that he will continue taking on new challenges as a game developer.

The announcement has left the Tekken community uncertain about the future of Tekken 8 and whoever will lead the project next, especially since Bandai Namco has not named a successor. The timing, coming less than six months after Katsuhiro Harada left the company on December 8, 2025, has also amplified fans' concerns.

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