Tekken Lead talks about the future of the franchise

TekkenExecutive producer Katsuhiro Harada may be sticking around for just one more entry in the long-running fighting series, according to a recent statement from the veteran. Harada was attached to Tekken one way or another over the last few decades.

Since the first game was released in 1994, Tekken consistently gaining favorable scores and growing exponentially in popularity, it has become practically synonymous with the fighting game genre. In total, the Bandai Namco-owned franchise has set 11 records in a span of approximately 30 years. For much of that time, Harada was part of the management across many people Tekken titles, while his last participation is in this year's sequel, 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.

In an interview with VG247, Harada said that he and fellow producer Michael Murray “can only have one Tekken” in them, due to factors such as aging and “how it works in Japan and development.” Recalling the number of years he has spent working on Tekkenthe executive producer said that a new team might eventually take over since most of the current developers have been there for decades. Harada acknowledged the possibility of the game changing after his departure, saying that the game could be “more casual” such as Smash Bros. games.

Emphasizing the importance of a balance of power between creative and business teams working on an upcoming project Tekken Harada revealed that he is “quite concerned” about the creative side of things losing out to the business side once veteran creators decide to step down. He said the creative team must have members who “know the game well and know what it should be.” The executive producer mentioned that the finance people are “naturally strong enough” and that there has to be someone on the creative team “strong enough to be on the same level as these people”. He went on to add that it can be challenging to maintain this “delicate balance”, which he acknowledges is necessary to ensure the company's survival.

In addition to talking about the future of the series, Katsuhiro Harada also touched on the likely reasons for the series' long-term success. Tekken compared to other 3D fighting games of its time. He believed that the “three pillars”, which include the creative side, the marketing side and the community side, were key to ensuring the longevity of the franchise. While the longtime developers are still at the helm, Harada's statements indicate that fans should be prepared for a possible change in direction. Tekken as new creatives take over over the years.