In an interview with VG247 about the past and future of the Tekken series on its 30th anniversary, Tekken 8 executive producer Katsuhiro Harada (translated via producer Michael Murray) said that before delivering the Tekken series, the two may Will have another “Tekken”.
This is to answer the question of what Harada’s hopes are for the future of Tekken. You can read the full interview here and get his thoughts on other topics, including what it’s like to have Tekken become the last 3D fighting game and why Tekken has lasted so long while other IPs have struggled.
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“It’s really hard to say. Me and Murray, we’ll probably only have one more Tekken due to age and how it’s grown and developed in Japan and things like that. 20-30 years is a long time time, so you might have another team, that’s how the company works, right?
Harada, through Murray, went on to express his concerns about the balance of power within the Tekken team once he and other senior employees who had been with the team for decades left.
“I’m worried, to be honest, because there are so many factors that go into making a game. So, obviously, the board of directors and the financial people have their own goals, like the financial goals of the game and the relationship of the game to the company. They’re just like you What you imagine is naturally very powerful, so having the creativity to make people aware of the game is important. brilliantly and know what it is need become”.
“But there must be a strong enough voice [on the development team] On the same floor as those people. So what I worry about is if you have a creative side but it’s not in the same position as the people who run the company… I’m worried about how that’s going to play out.”
However, when I then asked him if he was worried that the power of Tekken’s creative development team would be diminished with his departure, he again provided confirmation and further elaboration through Murray. “Yes. Actually, it’s a difficult balance because if the creative side is stronger than the board of directors of the company – which sometimes happens, right – then the company may not survive. [laughs] So, it’s a delicate balance.
If you’ve been a long-time Tekken fan, it’s hard to imagine a future without Harada, Murray, and the many veteran leaders who have played cornerstone roles in the ever-growing Tekken franchise. The couple I interviewed are very much the faces and voices in the game, communicating directly with the community about matters serious and joyful.
But it’s not an unfamiliar problem, especially for Japanese game development, where a few key star developers have been taking leading roles in various franchises over the years. Many of these legends started in the early days of PlayStation – or even earlier! It’s only natural that over time, new names and faces will have to take up the torch. One can only look to the young and ambitious talent in Street Fighter 6 as a model of success, something one hopes all great video game series can achieve.
