Tekken Director Kohei Ikeda Leaves Bandai Namco
Kohei Ikeda, a director closely associated with Tekken, has left Bandai Namco after more than two decades with the company. For readers in England following the fighting game scene, it is another notable change at one of Japan’s best-known arcade-era publishers.
Ikeda said on X, on 1 June, that joining Bandai Namco had been a “dream come true” after spending “countless days in arcades”. He thanked the company for the chance to work on Tekken, and said the series left him with “unforgettable moments” shared with the fighting game community. Read his post on X.
His career at Bandai Namco began with Soulcalibur IV, before he went on to direct Tekken 7 and Tekken 8. That path reflects a long connection to the Japanese arcade fighting game tradition, where many developers built their craft through direct player feedback and repeated iteration.
Ikeda did not say what he will do next, only that he plans to “continue taking on new challenges as a game developer”. Bandai Namco has not announced a replacement.
His departure follows another high-profile exit from the same division, Katsuhiro Harada, who left Bandai Namco in recent months. Harada has since founded VS Studio, with investment from SNK, and says the studio aims to strengthen game software development capabilities. SNK’s official site and Bandai Namco’s official site provide company background.
For more retro gaming news and fighting game coverage, keep an eye on our News tag. The wider pattern here is clear, experienced creators are moving on, and the next phase for Bandai Namco’s fighting game teams will be worth watching.
