Summary
- Harada may only stay for one more Tekken entry due to age and development concerns.
- Harada emphasizes the need for a balance between creative and business teams in future iterations.
- Fans should prepare for potential changes in Tekken's direction with new creatives taking control.
Tekken's executive producer Katsuhiro Harada may only stick around for one more entry in the long-running fighting series, as per a recent statement from the veteran. Harada has been attached to Tekken in one way or another over the past few decades.
Ever since the first game came out in 1994, Tekken has consistently received favorable scores and risen in popularity exponentially, becoming virtually synonymous with the fighting game genre. In total, the Bandai Namco-owned franchise has spawned 11 entries in the span of around 30 years. For a major chunk of that time, Harada has been a part of the proceedings across multiple Tekken titles, with his latest involvement being in this year's installment, Tekken 8. After spending a long time working on the franchise, an update was recently shared about the Japanese game producer's role in the future of the series.
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In an interview with VG247, Harada said that him and fellow producer Michael Murray "might have only one more Tekken" in them, owing to factors like aging and "how that plays out in Japan and development." While recalling the number of years he has under his belt while working on Tekken, the executive producer said that there might be a new team taking over eventually given most of the current devs have already been there for decades. Acknowledging the possibility of the game changing after his departure, Harada said that the game could get "more casual" like the Smash Bros. Games.
Franchise Veteran Comments on Tekken's Future
Underlining the importance of having a power balance between the creative and the business teams working on the forthcoming Tekken games, Harada revealed being "quite worried" about the creative side of things losing out to the business aspect once veteran creators decide to step down. He said that there must be members on the creative team that "know the game well and know what it needs to be." The executive producer mentioned that the people concerned with the finances are "naturally quite strong" and that there must be someone on the creative team "strong enough to be on the same kind of floor as those people." Further, he added that it can be challenging to maintain this "delicate balance," which he acknowledges is needed to ensure the company's survival.
Besides talking about the future of the series, Katsuhiro Harada also touched upon the likely reasons for the long-lasting success of Tekken compared to other 3D fighting games of its time. He opined that the "three pillars," which include the creative side, the marketing side, and the community side, have been key towards providing longevity to the franchise. Even though the longtime devs are still at the helm, Harada's statements suggest fans should be ready for a possible change in direction for Tekken when new creatives take control down the years.
Tekken 8
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 90 /100 Critics Rec: 99%
- Released
- January 26, 2024
- ESRB
- t
- Developer(s)
- Bandai Namco Entertainment, Arika
- Publisher(s)
- Bandai Namco Entertainment
- Engine
- Unreal Engine 5
- Multiplayer
- Local Multiplayer, Online Multiplayer
- Cross-Platform Play
- PC, PS5 & Xbox Series X|S
WHERE TO PLAY
Tekken 8 brings the fight to the latest generation of consoles, powered by Unreal Engine 5. Feel the power of every hit in Tekken 8, the latest entry in the legendary fighting game franchise from Bandai Namco. Utilising the power and realism of Unreal Engine 5, Tekken 8 pushes the envelope for fighting games by taking full advantage of the power of the latest generation of consoles. Ground-breaking new features, breathtakingly detailed character models and dramatic environments make this one of the most visually stunning and immersive titles in the genre yet. Tekken 8 picks up after the gruesome battle that ended in Heihachi Mishima’s defeat in Tekken 7, focusing on a new rivalry, pitting father against son as Jin Kazama stands in defiance against Kazuya Mishima in a city-shattering face-to-face showdown.
- Franchise
- Tekken
- Platform(s)
- PC, PS5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
- Genre(s)
- Fighting
- PS Plus Availability
- N/A
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
