Tekken 8 director Kohei Ikeda leaves Bandai Namco after 20 years

Tekken 8 is entering a notable leadership moment as chief producer and game director Kohei Ikeda has left Bandai Namco after 20 years. Ikeda’s name carries serious weight inside the fighting-game community. He directed Tekken 8 and Tekken 7, and also worked across Tekken Tag Tournament 2, Tekken 3D: Prime Edition and Soulcalibur IV.

That is not a small résumé. Tekken is one of those franchises where long-term development knowledge matters enormously because every new entry is built on years of combat feel, legacy characters, frame data, animation language and community expectation. Ikeda said he will continue taking on new challenges as a game developer, so this is not necessarily a retirement moment.

Still, for Bandai Namco and Tekken fans, his departure is a major personnel change during one of the series’ most active modern periods.

Source: Gematsu - https://www.gematsu.com/2026/06/tekken-8-game-director-kohei-ikeda-leaves-bandai-namco-after-20-years