Tekken 7 and Tekken 8 Director Kohei Ikeda Leaves Bandai Namco
The exit of the director behind the two most recent numbered Tekken titles, coming months after the franchise's longtime producer also left, marks a significant turnover in the series' creative leadership.
Reporting from 1 sources: Anime News Network.
Kohei Ikeda, game director for Tekken 7 and Tekken 8, announced on Monday that he has left Bandai Namco Entertainment after 20 years at the company. His departure follows that of former Tekken project producer Katsuhiro Harada, who left at the end of 2025 and now leads SNK's new studio.
Kohei Ikeda, the game director for Tekken 7 and Tekken 8, announced Monday that he has left Bandai Namco Entertainment after two decades at the company. Ikeda, also known as Nakatsu, served as game director on both flagship fighting titles, produced Tekken 3D Prime Edition, and worked as a designer on Tekken Tag Tournament 2 and SoulCalibur IV. His departure follows that of former Tekken project producer and executive game director Katsuhiro Harada, who left Bandai Namco at the end of 2025. Harada, who had collaborated closely with Ikeda on the series' design for the past 10 years, recently announced he is leading SNK's new studio, VS Studio SNK.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 1 cited source below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.
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- Anime News Network News Tekken 7, Tekken 8 Director Kohei Ikeda Leaves Bandai Namco