Bandai Namco’s Tekken team has had several high-profile departures over the past year. First was assistant director Yohei Shimbori in August of 2025, followed by Executive Director and the “face of Tekken” Katsuhiro Harada–who recently revealed his new studio in partnership with SNK. Today, another Tekken developer and fighting-game veteran has officially announced his departure.
Kohei Ikeda, known among fans under the moniker “Nakatsu,” has worked at Bandai Namco for over 20 years–primarily on the Tekken series but also contributing to games like Soulcalibur IV and the Project X Zone titles. He served as both game director and chief producer on Tekken 8. But that tenure appears to be ending, as he announced in a post on X, in both English and Japanese, that he is leaving after two decades with the company.
“Becoming part of the company I had always admired–[Bandai] Namco–was truly a dream come true,” he wrote. “Dedicating ourselves wholeheartedly to game development together remains one of the most cherished experiences of my life.”
While Nakatsu didn’t give a definitive reason for leaving the company, it does not mark the end of his career in games development as he also said he will “continue to take on new challenges” in the field.
While Tekken 8 has been a sales success for Bandai Namco Games–and it’s getting plenty of future DLC support, including the recently-announced Yujiro Hanma guest character–there’s also been a lot of controversy surrounding the gameplay direction from longtime players. With Ikeda’s departure, there’s sure to be a lot of speculation on who will step up to assume his mantle, and where the future of the Tekken series will be headed.
