Tekken Legend Harada Blasts Japanese Game Execs: 'None of Them Play Their Own Games'

Tekken series veteran Katsuhiro Harada says Japanese game executives don't play their own games, and praises SNK's culture as he works on an unannounced project with VS Studio.

Katsuhiro Harada isn't holding back. The longtime Tekken boss, who spent 31 years at Bandai Namco before leaving, has some choice words for the executives running Japan's biggest game companies.

Speaking to VGC, Harada didn't mince words: "I can assure you that there is not a single executive in the Japanese video game industry who plays their own games." Yeah, that's a direct quote.

Harada, now working with SNK-backed VS Studio on an unannounced game, thinks the problem runs deep. He says many Japanese game company leaders don't really understand games or the people who make them. They focus on business numbers and profit targets, but according to Harada, some of them won't even bother playing prototypes or finished products themselves.

It's a pretty damning take from someone who's been in the trenches for three decades. You'd think the people signing off on games might actually, you know, play them.

But Harada isn't all doom and gloom. When the conversation turned to SNK, his tone changed completely. He praised the company's culture, where the people in charge actually know their games and dig into the products. That closeness between management and developers, he believes, could help bring back the golden age of Japanese games.

"I believe that we can make the golden age of Japanese games come alive again, and there's a good prospect of success," Harada said.

As for what's next, Harada's work won't necessarily be locked to existing SNK brands. VS Studio can either continue developing known IPs or build something entirely new. Which projects Harada ends up taking on will be decided later down the line.

SNK's chief publishing officer, Ozan Kocoglu, also hinted that the company is hunting for more growth opportunities and might bring in more developers in the future, especially those with experience in action games.

That said, Kocoglu admitted the current market isn't easy. Making games that can survive fierce competition is expensive and demanding, and there's no magic formula for success. SNK, he says, needs to double down on "quality, innovation, and independence."

So what do you think? Are Japanese game execs really that out of touch, or is Harada just venting after three decades in the industry? Drop your thoughts below.