{"rewrite":{"id":"r_7143458d871890802e05a30b","clusterId":"c_ab283529f6be9602b1c8b27d","slug":"tekken-7-and-tekken-8-director-kohei-ikeda-leaves-bandai-namco","model":"deepseek-v4-flash","headline":"Tekken 7 and Tekken 8 Director Kohei Ikeda Leaves Bandai Namco","summary":"Kohei Ikeda, game director for Tekken 7 and Tekken 8, announced on Monday that he has left Bandai Namco Entertainment after 20 years at the company. His departure follows that of former Tekken project producer Katsuhiro Harada, who left at the end of 2025 and now leads SNK's new studio.","whyItMatters":"The exit of the director behind the two most recent numbered Tekken titles, coming months after the franchise's longtime producer also left, marks a significant turnover in the series' creative leadership.","webCardHtml":"\u003cp\u003eKohei Ikeda, the game director for Tekken 7 and Tekken 8, announced Monday that he has left Bandai Namco Entertainment after two decades at the company. Ikeda, also known as Nakatsu, served as game director on both flagship fighting titles, produced Tekken 3D Prime Edition, and worked as a designer on Tekken Tag Tournament 2 and SoulCalibur IV. His departure follows that of former Tekken project producer and executive game director Katsuhiro Harada, who left Bandai Namco at the end of 2025. Harada, who had collaborated closely with Ikeda on the series' design for the past 10 years, recently announced he is leading SNK's new studio, VS Studio SNK.\u003c/p\u003e","blueskyPost":"Kohei Ikeda leaves Bandai Namco 20 years in. Harada left first. The entire Tekken directorial layer has now cleared out within a calendar year.","twitterPost":"Ikeda leaves 20 years in. Harada left first. The entire Tekken directorial layer cleared out within one year.","threadsPost":"Kohei Ikeda is out of Bandai Namco after 20 years. Katsuhiro Harada left at the end of 2025. Within a calendar year, the two people who shaped Tekken 7 and Tekken 8 have both moved on. That is a full directorial reset for the franchise.","newsletterBlurb":"Kohei Ikeda, the game director for Tekken 7 and Tekken 8, announced he has left Bandai Namco Entertainment after 20 years. His departure follows that of former Tekken project producer Katsuhiro Harada, who left at the end of 2025 and now leads SNK's new studio.","attributionJson":"[{\"source\":\"Anime News Network\",\"url\":\"https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2026-06-02/tekken-7-tekken-8-director-kohei-ikeda-leaves-bandai-namco/.238040\",\"title\":\"Tekken 7, Tekken 8 Director Kohei Ikeda Leaves Bandai Namco\"}]","lintFlagsJson":null,"lintHits":0,"costUsd":0,"inputTokens":3663,"outputTokens":604,"status":"published","repairAttempts":0,"nextRepairAt":null,"factsAttemptedAt":1780428206,"createdAt":"2026-06-02T19:12:34.000Z","publishedAt":"2026-06-02T19:17:24.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-06-02T19:17:24.000Z"},"cluster":{"id":"c_ab283529f6be9602b1c8b27d","canonicalTitle":"News\nTekken 7, Tekken 8 Director Kohei Ikeda Leaves Bandai Namco","representativeArticleId":"a_5c8f9087189e33f6509322e7","sourceCount":1,"writtenSourceCount":1,"writeAttempts":0,"isSolo":true,"entitiesJson":"{\"anime_titles\":[],\"manga_titles\":[],\"work_titles\":[\"Tekken 7\",\"Tekken 8\"],\"studios\":[\"Bandai Namco Entertainment\"],\"people\":[\"Kohei Ikeda\"],\"type\":\"news\",\"domain\":\"games\",\"is_roundup\":false}","contentType":"news","status":"published","firstSeenAt":"2026-06-02T18:30:00.000Z","lastSeenAt":"2026-06-02T18:30:00.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-06-02T19:17:24.000Z"},"attribution":[{"source":"Anime News Network","url":"https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2026-06-02/tekken-7-tekken-8-director-kohei-ikeda-leaves-bandai-namco/.238040","title":"News\nTekken 7, Tekken 8 Director Kohei Ikeda Leaves Bandai Namco"}],"entities":{"anime_titles":[],"manga_titles":[],"work_titles":["Tekken 7","Tekken 8"],"studios":["Bandai Namco Entertainment"],"people":["Kohei Ikeda"],"type":"news","domain":"games","is_roundup":false},"keyFacts":["Kohei Ikeda, game director for Tekken 7 and Tekken 8, left Bandai Namco Entertainment after 20 years at the company.","Ikeda announced his departure on Monday.","Former Tekken project producer Katsuhiro Harada left Bandai Namco at the end of 2025 and now leads SNK's new studio, VS Studio SNK.","Ikeda also produced Tekken 3D Prime Edition and worked as a designer on Tekken Tag Tournament 2 and SoulCalibur IV."]}