In continuation of a rather turbulent year for Tekken 820-year Bandai Namco veteran and director of the 3D fighter itself Kouhei Ikeda announced his departure from the studio. Tekken 8 continues to struggle against the tide as several game seasons have missed the mark with fans and Bandai Namco has unfortunately reversed key pillars of the franchise's development.
While Tekken 8 he may have started off fairly strong, the past few years have not been kind to the fighter. Fans have repeatedly complained about the game's awkward balance and the Rage Arts mechanics they got Tekken 8 going from what was once a high-level competitive experience to a more mainstream, “watered down” one, according to some die-hard fans in the community. Recent seasons have also been quite poorly received, with season 3 even leading to a whole Tekken 8 reviews bomb in March 2026 because fans feel they are not being heard. Additionally, the game has alarmingly started removing its longtime developers and company faces.
Tekken 8 is revealing a new DLC character this winter
Bandai Namco reveals a new DLC character coming to Tekken 8, the fourth and final entrant in the fighting game's Season 3.
As announced on Twitter on June 1, 2026, Kohei Ikeda has officially left Bandai Namco, leaving behind a 20-year legacy and a letter expressing his joy at the game director position. Tekken 7 and 8, at the head of which he has been for more than ten years. Kohei Ikeda also talks about how he always dreamed of working at Bandai Namco and how to get there Soul Calibur 4 at the beginning of his career and continues his work Tekken 8 is one of his most valuable life experiences. Ikeda has not yet specified why another longtime developer is leaving Tekken 8but he does offer some kind words and a passing of the baton to the developers who are still working hard to make the game better.
Click or tap the games that match the category
Start
Kohei Ikeda's departure from Bandai Namco marks the third developer to leave the studio in less than a year. The first to go was producer Yohei Shimbori in September 2025, who quickly said goodbye on Twitter before leaving the company. However, in a surprising shocker, in December 2025 franchise icon Katsuhiro Harada announced his own departure from the studio after an impressive 30 years with the series. After his announcement of retirement from Tekken series, Harada has announced a new studio with former SNK developers, but it is currently unknown whether Ikeda or Shimbori will follow him there.
Fan reaction to this recent series of departures has been mixed, if not downright grim, especially since these are the faces that fans associate with Tekken franchise. With Harada's departure, fans felt like souls Tekken has left the franchise and that the series may not be the same; however, Ikeda's passing of the baton has fans wondering where Tekken 8 it goes from there, considering Ikeda was the visionary behind a lot of the problems fans currently have with the game. WITH Tekken 8 Season 3 promises to right the wrongs of the past, fans will have to wait and see how the game changes from here.
Arrange the covers in the correct US release order.
Start
Arrange the covers in the correct US release order.
Easy (5) Medium (7) Hard (10)
As depressing as it is to see longtime developers of beloved franchises abandon their games for unknown reasons, it's not all doom and gloom. Tekken 8. In fact, it's quite the opposite. Evo Japan 2026 kicks off at the end of June and will be full of massive games that continue to dominate the fighting game scene. Tekken 8 and all his current problems with the like Street Fighter 6 and Guilty Gear Strive on a massive stage. Things can be hard Tekken right now, but that doesn't mean it isn't still one of the most watched and played fighting games at very high levels.
- Released
-
January 26, 2024
- ESRB
-
t
