Mario Reid

I'm a gamer, designer and cosplayer in Atlanta Ga

[Mario Reid @KBZ_SupahEM]

OK side project showcase time, puttin on some competitive VR Boxing experiments featuring some of the homies from japan. If you dig the vibe let me know!
https://t.co/nSQyIM47nI

#VR #Boxing #Quest2 #Meta

[Mario Reid @KBZ_SupahEM]

@mengshs LITERALLY WHEN!?!?!?! Been playing bears pretending its Ganny in a suit for like 2 years fam....

[Mario Reid @KBZ_SupahEM]

Damn...this was NOT on my bingo card for 2025. @Harada_TEKKEN thank you for devoting your life to a game that had such an impact on my life and career. Hope the next chapter for you is a great one.

[Katsuhiro Harada @Harada_TEKKEN]

I’d like to share that I’ll be leaving Bandai Namco at the end of 2025.
With the TEKKEN series reaching its 30th anniversary—an important milestone for a project I’ve devoted much of my life to—I felt this was the most fitting moment to bring one chapter to a close.

My roots lie in the days when I supported small local tournaments in Japanese arcades and in small halls and community centers overseas.
I still remember carrying arcade cabinets by myself, encouraging people to “Please try TEKKEN,” and directly facing the players right in front of me.
The conversations and atmosphere we shared in those places became the core of who I am as a developer and game creator.

Even as the times changed, those experiences have remained at the center of my identity.
And even after the tournament scene grew much larger, many of you continued to treat me like an old friend—challenging me at venues, inviting me out for drinks at bars.
Those memories are also deeply precious to me.
In recent years, I experienced the loss of several close friends in my personal life, and in my professional life I witnessed the retirement or passing of many senior colleagues whom I deeply respect.
Those accumulated events made me reflect on the “time I have left as a creator.”
During that period, I sought advice from Ken Kutaragi—whom I respect as though he were another father—and received invaluable encouragement and guidance.
His words quietly supported me in making this decision.

Over the past four to five years, I’ve gradually handed over all of my responsibilities, as well as the stories and worldbuilding I oversaw, to the team, bringing me to the present day.
Looking back, I was fortunate to work on an extraordinary variety of projects—VR titles (such as Summer Lesson), Pokkén Tournament, the SoulCalibur series, and many others, both inside and outside the company.
Each project was full of new discoveries and learning, and every one of them became an irreplaceable experience for me.
To everyone who has supported me, to communities around the world, and to all the colleagues who have walked alongside me for so many years, I offer my deepest gratitude.
I’ll share more about my next steps at a later date.
Thank you very much for everything.

【Postscript】
Although I will be leaving the company at the end of 2025, Bandai Namco has asked me to appear at the TWT Finals at the end of January 2026, so I expect to attend as a guest.

For 30 years I kept saying, “I’ll do it someday,” and never once performed as a DJ at a tournament event.
So instead, I will be releasing—for the first and last time—a 60-minute TEKKEN DJ-style nonstop mix (DJ mix), personally edited by myself, together with this announcement.
Listening to it brings back many memories.
Thank you again, sincerely, for all these years.

‘TEKKEN: A 30-Year Journey – Harada’s Final Mix’ by Katsuhiro Harada 1 is on #SoundCloud https://t.co/PUFOWt3R6M

December 8, 2025 - The Final Day of TEKKEN’s 30th Anniversary -
Katsuhiro Harada

[日本語版 (Japanese version)]
このたび、2025年末をもちまして、私はバンダイナムコを退職することにいたしました。
長く携わってきた『鉄拳』シリーズが30周年という大きな節目を迎え、ひとつの区切りとして最もふさわしい時期であると考えたためです。

私の原点は、日本のゲームセンターや、海外コミュニティの小さな講堂やコミュニティセンターで、まだ小規模なトーナメントをサポートしていた時代にあります。
アーケード筐体を自ら運び込み、「鉄拳もぜひ遊んでみてほしい」と声をかけながら、目の前の参加者と向き合った日々。
あの場で交わした言葉や空気が、私という開発者の核を形作りました。
時代が変化しても、あの経験が自分の中心にあります。
そしてトーナメントシーンが大きく成長した後も、皆さんは旧知の友人のように私に声をかけ、会場で対戦したり、バーで『一緒に飲もう』と誘ってくれました。
それらもまた、大切な思い出です。

ここ数年間、私生活においては友人達との死別があり、仕事においては、私が尊敬する多くの先輩方の引退や逝去に触れてきました。
そうした出来事の積み重ねが、私に『開発者として残された時間』について考える契機を与えました。
その過程で、私がもう一人の父親のように敬愛する久夛良木健さんにも相談し、貴重な助言と励ましのお言葉をいただきました。
この言葉もまた、今回の決断を静かに後押しするものとなりました。

そして、この4〜5年をかけて私の担ってきたすべての業務やストーリーや世界観、そして責務をチームに段階的に引き継ぎ、今日に至ります。
振り返れば、VR作品（サマーレッスンなど）や『ポッ拳』、ソウルキャリバーシリーズをはじめ、自社他社問わず数多くのプロジェクトに携わる機会に恵まれました。
いずれのプロジェクトも新しい発見と学びに満ち、かけがえのない経験となりました。

これまで支えてくださった皆様、世界中のコミュニティの皆様、そして長年ともに歩んできた仲間たちに深く感謝申し上げます。
次の歩みについては、改めて皆様にお伝えいたします。
これからも、どうぞよろしくお願いいたします。

+あとがき
2025年末をもって退職致しますが、2026年1月末のTWT FINALには顔を出してほしいと会社からお願いされていることもあり、FINALにはゲストとして顔を出すと思います。
これまで30年間『いつかやるよ』と言い続けてやってこなかったトーナメントイベントでのDJですが、その代わりとして“最初で最後のDJ風60分ノンストップ鉄拳ミックス（私による初編集DJ mix）”も、今回のポストに合わせて公開します。

‘TEKKEN: A 30-Year Journey – Harada’s Final Mix’ by Katsuhiro Harada 1 is on #SoundCloud https://t.co/PUFOWt3R6M

様々な思い出が蘇ります。改めて皆さんありがとうございました。

2025年12月8日 - 鉄拳30周年最終日 -
Katsuhiro Harada

[Mario Reid @KBZ_SupahEM]

Ball is Life #T8_ArmorKing #TEKKEN8

[Mario Reid @KBZ_SupahEM]

I remember when making T8 customs were hype...anyway here's AK as Speed when he was on WWE @ishowspeedsui

[Mario Reid @KBZ_SupahEM]

@mengshs lol "Suckiest" and the BJ stance together makes this too funny hahaha so true

[Mario Reid @KBZ_SupahEM]

@kurotenBB Agreed

[Mario Reid @KBZ_SupahEM]

@K7_Showoff Bro this has to be an Easter egg low-key cause it's facts hahahahah

[Mario Reid @KBZ_SupahEM]

@K7_Showoff I love how people think the product is optional visuals instead of the actual game itself.

[Mario Reid @KBZ_SupahEM]

@DragonifyDev @K7_Showoff Oh man they not ready to hear that lmaooo.

[Mario Reid @KBZ_SupahEM]

@morinoyouseii @morino_niconama Ah so it only works if they run into you, the grab does not turn all the way around. I was able to get it to turn half way but if the opponent stays still it dosent grab

[Mario Reid @KBZ_SupahEM]

@morinoyouseii Nice!

[Mario Reid @KBZ_SupahEM]

@morino_niconama @morinoyouseii How does the grab connect? Do they have to run into it?

[Mario Reid @KBZ_SupahEM]

@KeepsitSimple89 Kuma II has had a wild story up until now. From the Revenge story/rivalry with Paul to mastering his own animal bloodline, being a head of the Tekken force, development of the anti Jin weapon & mastering the Iron Fist Style to avenge his fallen master..and side mission for love.

[Mario Reid @KBZ_SupahEM]

@ladyVypa As a Ganryu player, I need her to come back so that they have an excuse to bring my boy back lol

[Mario Reid @KBZ_SupahEM]

@rangchu123 Good luck! The entire bear nation is behind you

[Mario Reid @KBZ_SupahEM]

@realjackietran @GenghisD0n @Evo One of my fav EVO moments, waited
For Don to exit the arena and the homies lifted his spirits and took him for a well earned dinner at Taco El Gordo. You would a thought he won the whole thing

[Mario Reid @KBZ_SupahEM]

@KingS3rvbot9999 Yo just hit Tekken King and I gotta know what's the major adjustment for a bear player on the way to Tekken God? You got both bears up there bro I gotta know

[Mario Reid @KBZ_SupahEM]

@TheRomanjelly You had to be upper mid tier at least, whose list was it?

[Mario Reid @KBZ_SupahEM]

@DudespostingWs Legend still walking, the OG Arm wrestling aura farmer

[Mario Reid @KBZ_SupahEM]

@Ursa_TK Maaaaan been waiting on the right Tekken custom pieces to make this happen