Tekken Lead Discusses The Future Of The Franchise

TekkenExecutive producer Katsuhiro Harada may stick with another entry in the long-running war series, according to a recent statement from the veteran. Harada is tied to Tekken in one way or another in the past decade.

Since the first game was released in 1994, Tekken consistently scored well and grew in popularity, becoming synonymous with the fighting game genre. In total, Bandai Namco's franchise has spawned 11 entries over the course of nearly 30 years. For a large part of that time, Harada was part of many processes Tekken title, with his latest contribution this year, Tekken 8. After spending a long time working on the franchise, an update was recently shared about the Japanese game developer's role in the future of the series.

In an interview with VG247, Harada said that he and co-star Michael Murray “may have another Tekken” in them, due to factors such as age and “the way it is going in Japan and development.” If you recall the number of years he had during his career TekkenThe executive producer said that a new team may eventually take over since most of the current devs have been there for decades. Acknowledging that the game could change after his departure, Harada said that the game could be more “unusual” as Smash Bros. game.

Highlighting the importance of having a balance of power between creative and business teams working in the future Tekken game, Harada stated that he was “very concerned” about the creative side of what was lost on the business side when the senior developers decided to resign. He said that there must be members of the creative team who “know the game well and know what to do”. The executive producer said that people involved in finance are “naturally very strong” and that someone on the creative team “must be strong enough to be on the same floor as these people.” Furthermore, he added that maintaining this “delicate balance”, which he admits is necessary to ensure the company's survival, can be difficult.

In addition to discussing the future of the series, Katsuhiro Harada touched on the possible reasons for the long-term success of Tekken compared to other 3D fighting games of its time. He believes that the “three pillars”, which include the creative side, the commercial side, and the social side, are the most important factors in giving the franchise longevity. Although the longtime devs are still at the helm, Harada's announcement suggests fans should be prepared for potential changes to the game. Tekken when a new developer controls the age.