Kohei Ikeda, the director of Tekken 8, has departed from Bandai Namco only a few months following the resignation of Katsuhiro Harada.

Kohei Ikeda, who directed the Tekken series, has parted ways with Bandai Namco after a career spanning over two decades.

Earlier today (June 1), Ikeda shared his reflections on social media platform X/Twitter via a statement. He recalled his early dreams of joining the company after spending immense time in arcades, describing his eventual role as "a dream come true."

Ikeda reminisced about starting his journey in game development with Soulcalibur 4 before moving on to work on the Tekken franchise—a series deeply influential in his life, one he hoped to contribute back to.

As the game director for Tekken 7 and Tekken 8, Ikeda expressed how these roles allowed him to connect with the fighting game community, sharing moments of "excitement" and creating lasting memories considered invaluable to him.

Although Ikeda did not disclose his future plans, he mentioned his intent to "pursue new challenges in game development."

He expressed heartfelt gratitude to everyone who supported him along his journey, closing his message with appreciation.

Ikeda's exit follows the recent departure of another prominent figure, Tekken director and executive producer Katsuhiro Harada, who is set to leave the company at the close of 2025.

Following his departure, Harada established VS Studio, backed by SNK, with the aim to "partner on game software development and enhance their development expertise," as noted in a recent announcement.