In the #FGC, we settle character debates, *friendly* rivalries & trash talk through long sets. That's when some of the craziest plays come out... Like this one between @Myloes_ and @NeonFGC 🔥
Shall we host OFC again this year at #VSF? Who would you like to see? Tag them!👀 #SC6
Here they are; all together... #VSF Top 3 Trophies for #SOULCALIBUR VI!
🥇 SOUL EDGE
🥈 SOUL CALIBUR
🥉 OWL SHIELD
Now we wait and see who's taking em home... But that announcement rests solely on you ⚔️
So if you think you got what it takes; then it's time to get practicin'
山崎和佳奈さんのご逝去の報に接し、心よりお悔やみ申し上げます。
山崎さんには、あやね役として
「DEAD OR ALIVE」・「NINJA GAIDEN」シリーズを始めとした作品に長年にわたってご出演いただきました。
ご生前のご功績を偲ぶとともに、心よりご冥福をお祈りいたします。
Team NINJA 一同
The next chapter in the DEAD OR ALIVE franchise is officially in development!
DEAD OR ALIVE first launched in 1996 and this year marks it's 30th anniversary.
Thank you for supporting us all these years. #DOA30th
I start this project in November. I’m happy to say a month later I’ve finally completed painting this SC4 Nightmare model and base!!! There were several challenges along the but I’m super proud of how it turned out!!!
#SOULCALIBUR III
⚔Release Date Confirmed!
Coming to the PlayStation Plus Classics Catalog.
📅 Release: Dec. 16, 2025 (Tue)
✨ Included with PlayStation Plus Premium
🛒 Standalone edition will also be available for purchase
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
#SOULCALIBUR III is coming to the PlayStation Plus Classics Catalog!
⚔ Planned for release later this year
⚔ Playable on PS5 & PS4
⚔ Included with PlayStation Plus Premium
🛒 Standalone edition will also be available for purchase
Happy 7th anniversary to Soulcalibur VI! 🥳🎉🥖
Featuring my mains: Grøh, Cassandra and 2B
Who is your main(s) in Soulcalibur VI?
#SoulcaliburVI#Soulcalibur#ソウルキャリバーVI
We are deeply saddened by the passing of Team NINJA's first leader, Tomonobu Itagaki.
We will carry on the philosophy and creativity that Itagaki-san began and continue to create games that many gamers will enjoy.
Our deepest condolences for his loss.
From everyone at Team NINJA
It’s hard to believe, but Itagaki-san…my senior from university and my rival as a creator has passed away.
The last message I ever received from him was,
“Let’s go drinking. Let’s make some noise soon!”
To think that he’s gone at just 58 years old…
Yes, everyone dies eventually …that’s inevitable.
But you… isn’t it a bit too soon?
Didn’t you say you were going to defeat me someday?
Didn’t you come to my wedding, wearing your usual black leather jacket and sunglasses,
and call me your comrade-in-arms?
Didn’t you tell me to come to you whenever I was in trouble?
I never even got the chance to consult you about anything.
Honestly… I’m really depressed.
—Itagaki’s final message (English translation)—
Words I Leave Behind The flame of my life is finally about to go out. If this message has been posted, it means that the time has come. I am no longer in this world. (This final post has been entrusted to someone dear to me.)
My life was a series of battles. And I kept on winning. I know I caused trouble for many along the way. But I followed my convictions and fought to the very end. I have no regrets.
Only one thing weighs on me — I’m deeply sorry to all my fans that I couldn’t bring you a new work. I truly am. That’s just how it is. So it goes.
Tomonobu Itagaki
——-