12月8日，正值《鐵拳》系列30周年紀念日的最後一刻，該系列總製作人原田勝弘在社交媒體上正式發布公告，宣布自己將於2025年底離開效力了三十載的萬代南夢宮。這一消息迅速在格鬥遊戲社區（FGC）引發了地震級反應。原田在聲明中表示，選擇在這個時間點離開，是希望在一個里程碑式的時刻結束這一章。雖然即將離職，但他仍將於2026年1月受邀作為嘉賓出席《鐵拳》世界巡迴賽（TWT）總決賽，完成最後的告別演出。
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://on.soundcloud.com/pEYofA4yXOwyC7lj0O December 8, 2025 - The Final Day of TEKKEN’s 30th Anniversary - Katsuhiro Harada
原田勝弘的回憶充滿了溫情與草根氣息。他回顧了自己的職業生涯起步於街機廳，那時的他不僅要親自搬運笨重的街機框體，還在當時小規模的社區中心通過分發傳單來推廣《鐵拳》。這種面對面的互動成為了他作為開發者的核心理念。然而，促使他做出離職決定的原因頗為沉重：近年來數位摯友的離世以及尊敬的前輩們相繼退休，讓他開始重新審視自己「作為創作者所剩的時間」。為此，他特意尋求了被他視為第二位父親的PlayStation之父久夛良木健的建議，並在其鼓勵下最終下定決心。
事實上，這場「交接儀式」早在四五年前就已悄然啟動。原田透露，他一直在逐步將《鐵拳》系列的劇情構建和開發重任移交給年輕團隊，確保在他離開後這個IP依然能平穩運行。回顧在萬代南夢宮的歲月，除了《鐵拳》，他還參與了《夏日課堂》、《寶可拳》以及《靈魂能力》系列等眾多項目。
Reddit和各大社交媒體上的玩家們在震驚之餘，紛紛打出了那個經典的梗：「這一次，是真的沒人能再『Ask him for sh*t』（找他提需求）了。」那個曾不僅一次在Evo舞台上怒吼「閉嘴，坐下」的暴躁墨鏡大叔，那個甚至差點因為要在《任天堂明星大亂鬥》中加入三島平八而引發版權亂戰的男人，終於要卸下萬代高管的重擔。為了紀念這一刻，原田並沒有按常理出牌，而是發布了一段由他親自剪輯的60分鐘《鐵拳》DJ混音帶，以此作為送給粉絲最後的禮物。對於這位定義了3D格鬥遊戲黃金時代的製作人，全球玩家此刻只有一句瑞思拜。至於他的下一站是哪裡，原田表示將在日後另行公布。
