The creative vanguard behind the modern Tekken franchise is officially gone. Kohei “Nakatsu” Ikeda, the game director for Tekken 7 and Tekken 8, announced his exit from Bandai Namco on Monday, ending a 20-year run with the studio. His departure guts a leadership team that was already heavily depleted over the last nine months.
Ikeda broke the news on social media, reflecting on his two decades climbing from Soulcalibur IV to the top of the fighting game division. “There were joyful moments, and many difficult ones as well… Yet every one of those moments helped push both myself and the Tekken Project forward,” he wrote. He did not confirm his next destination, only stating he will “continue taking on new challenges as a game developer.” His announcement arrives right as the development team tries to fix its relationship with the player base, according to Eurogamer, which confirmed his official departure statement and contextualized the ongoing series woes following a controversial Season 2.
The Tekken project is bleeding veteran talent. Ikeda is the third primary executive to leave the team recently. Producer Yohei Shimbori quit in August 2025, and long-time executive director Katsuhiro Harada walked away in December 2025 after 30 years to form VS Studio, as detailed by a Gamespot report covering the timeline of previous executive exits, specifically noting Yohei Shimbori and Katsuhiro Harada’s recent departures.
Fans are already heavily speculating that Ikeda will reunite with Harada at VS Studio. That new venture partnered directly with SNK Corporation, setting itself up to build immediate rivals to Bandai Namco’s roster. Meanwhile, the publisher is left trying to steer Tekken 8 without its original architects. The company just revealed Yujiro Hanma from the Baki anime franchise as the next guest character for the Season 3 Pass, but players are now openly questioning who will guide the franchise into 2027.