Tekken 8 and Tekken 7 game director Kohei Ikeda (Nakatsu) revealed on June 1 that he has departed from Bandai Namco Studios. This follows just six months after the exit of long-serving Tekken series producer Katsuhiro Harada.
In a message directed at the Tekken fanbase shared on his personal X account, Ikeda reflected on his two-decade tenure at Bandai Namco, beginning with his work on Soulcalibur IV. He describes his later years with the Tekken development crew as among the most meaningful chapters of his career, extending thanks to his mentors, colleagues and the entire fighting game community.
Though Ikeda doesn’t elaborate on his reasons for leaving the studio, he notes he plans to “embrace new ventures” as a developer, hinting that we might see further details soon.
Regarding Tekken, Ikeda assures fans the franchise is in capable hands, having passed along both his personal principles and the collective ethos of the Tekkken Project to an “outstanding team.”