- Primary Subject: Tekken 8 Game Director Departure
- Key Update: Game Director Kohei Ikeda has left Bandai Namco.
- Status: Published
- Last Verified: 2026-06-01
- Quick Answer: Tekken 8's game director, Kohei Ikeda, has left Bandai Namco after more than 20 years with the company, sparking speculation about his future projects.
Tekken 8 has just lost its game director, as Kohei Ikeda has announced he'll be leaving Bandai Namco.
In a heartfelt letter posted via social media, the developer, who had been at Bandai Namco for over 20 years, expressed his gratitude towards the fighting game community, reminiscing on his career at Bandai that started all the way back with Soulcalibur IV, where he worked as a game designer.
Ikeda later worked on Tekken 3D Prime Edition and Tekken Tag Tournament 2, before being trusted as game director for both Tekken 7 and 8. "There were many joyful moments, and many difficult ones as well. Yet every one of those moments helped push both myself and the Tekken Project Forward."
The veteran also confirmed that he wasn't retiring from active game development, which invites a ton of speculation regarding his next role. It could likely be tied to Katsuhiro Harada's new studio, which is going to be working closely with SNK.
As for the future of Tekken, Bandai will likely announce a new leader to take the helm as game director in the near future, as they look to regain player trust amid a very rocky period for Tekken 8.
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