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# 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# 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

THREE LANGUAGES. THREE LIVE AI APPLICATIONS. THREE COMPLETE RESUMES. 2 MINUTES, 27 SECONDS. ZERO HIDDEN CUTS. The first note looked like absolute trash. It had been scribbled on, torn across the top, crushed into a ball, and reopened live on camera. One job was partially split by the tear. Some of the writing was barely legible. ECHO read it anyway: It recognized the progression from cashier, to barista, to shift leader. Then it transformed a damaged piece of paper into a professional résumé positioned for the next step: café manager. Then it did it again in Vietnamese. Then again in Japanese. Each note was attached live. Each application was running independently in its community’s language. Each résumé remained on screen long enough to be read. There were no hidden cuts. We only accelerated the waiting time. During a week when most of the AI world was debating regulation, platforms, and what might break next, we quietly built a working piece of the future. And we built it for more than one community: LATAM. Việt Nam. 日本. You did not simply watch ECHO. You tested it. Challenged it. Corrected it. Shared it. And carried this company beyond 200M views in three weeks. So we are building the next phase with you. We are not merely translating an American product after the fact. We will continue developing Pattern Audit, Drift Forensics, and the deeper ECHO Premium systems that help people use AI with more clarity, structure, and judgment. At the same time, ECHO Careers will continue building practical tools for the person trying to get hired, change careers, prepare for an interview, negotiate compensation, or finally communicate the value of years of real work. And for the students and families preparing for university: We have not forgotten you. ECHO Academia begins rolling out August 1. We have already built new tools for applications, essays, interviews, degree discovery, and the documents families are expected to understand without ever being taught how. Careers and Academia are already operational across our languages. The dedicated website for job seekers and university applicants is complete. It will open in the coming weeks. This summer, we will preview the rooms one by one: Not rushed. Not reduced. The same standard of excellence for every community. Phase I proved the architecture. Phase II applies it to opportunity. 🇪🇸 LATAM Lo que acabas de ver no fue una maqueta. Las tres aplicaciones estaban activas, usando IA en vivo, y cada currículum se generó a partir de la nota que apareció en pantalla. La nota de LATAM estaba rota, arrugada, tachada y apenas legible. Aun así, ECHO convirtió una trayectoria real, cajero, barista y jefe de turno, en un currículum profesional orientado al siguiente paso: gerente de cafetería. No hubo cortes para ocultar el proceso. Solo aceleramos el tiempo de espera. Seguiremos desarrollando Pattern Audit, Drift Forensics y las herramientas profundas de ECHO. También seguiremos construyendo para quienes buscan empleo, una mejor carrera y una oportunidad real de demostrar lo que saben hacer. Y para quienes quieren entrar a la universidad: ECHO Academia comienza el 1 de agosto. 🎓 Las aplicaciones en español ya están funcionando. Muy pronto podrán verlas en acción. 🇻🇳 VIỆT NAM Những gì bạn vừa xem không phải là một bản mô phỏng. Cả ba ứng dụng đều đang hoạt động trực tiếp bằng AI thật. Mỗi CV được tạo từ chính tờ giấy ghi chú xuất hiện trên màn hình. Không có cảnh cắt để che giấu quá trình. Chúng tôi chỉ tăng tốc thời gian chờ. ECHO sẽ tiếp tục phát triển Pattern Audit, Drift Forensics và những công cụ giúp mọi người sử dụng AI rõ ràng, an toàn và có định hướng hơn. Đồng thời, ECHO Careers sẽ tiếp tục xây dựng cho những người đang tìm việc, đổi nghề, luyện phỏng vấn, thương lượng lương hoặc muốn biến kinh nghiệm thật của mình thành một hồ sơ chuyên nghiệp. Và đối với các bạn học sinh, sinh viên và gia đình đang chuẩn bị cho đại học: Chúng tôi chưa quên bạn. ECHO Academia bắt đầu được giới thiệu từ ngày 1 tháng 8. 🎓 Các ứng dụng tiếng Việt đã hoạt động. Những bản trình diễn đầu tiên sẽ sớm ra mắt. 🇯🇵 日本 今ご覧いただいたのは、演出用のモックではありません。 3つのアプリはすべて実際に稼働し、画面に映ったメモから、それぞれの言語で履歴書を作成しました。 結果を隠すためのカット編集はありません。 待ち時間だけを早めています。 ECHOはこれからも、Pattern Audit、Drift Forensics、そしてAIをより明確に、構造的に、適切な判断とともに使うためのツールを開発し続けます。 同時にECHO Careersでは、就職、転職、面接準備、給与交渉、そしてこれまでの経験を正しく伝えるための実用的なツールを作り続けます。 そして、大学進学を目指す学生とご家族へ。 皆さんのことも忘れていません。 ECHO Academiaは8月1日から順次公開します。🎓 日本語版のアプリはすでに稼働しています。 デモも近日公開します。 Try Pattern Audit + Drift Forensics free now: 🌊 🌊 🌊 🌊 For exclusive career content and professional releases: 💼 Follow Restrained Depth AI on LinkedIn. For ECHO Academia, university applications, and content built for students and families: 🎓 Follow Restrained Depth AI on Instagram and Facebook. Want early demo access, feedback invitations, and launch updates for Careers and Academia? 📩 Join the founding list: DM Career or Academia We helped people build businesses and brands. Now we are building for the job seeker, the student, and the family trying to reach what comes next. The future should not belong only to the people who already know how the system works.

@piezoglyph About #FF0921# 囚われない意識を持つことで、もしかしたら錠前やフェンスが見えてくるのかもしれない。でも本来そんなものはなく、あまり気にしない私たちは自然とこの作品集に向かっていたように思う。カードゲームで真剣になってしまうように、美味しいものを食べて労をねぎらうように。日々生きていく中で、どこからともなく湧いてくる遊び心を形にするには、仕事でもプライベートでもない場所を作るしかない。ということで、そんな想いに共感してくれた各スペシャリストたちと共に一冊にまとめることにしました。それ以上でも以下でもないのですが、これ以上に贅沢な時間はないように思います。そんな予定を決めてない旅のような１ページ１ページをどうか気ままに、手ぶらで、共に、冒険してもらえると幸いです。 An out-of-the-box mindset might make us see barriers and obstacles. But there’s actually nothing in front of us and we don’t really care. So it was, we think, a natural thing for us to begin working on this book. Like getting serious about a card game, or like treating ourselves with good food after hard work. In our day-to-day lives, we’ve got to make our own place away from work and home to bring playful ideas coming from out of nowhere into shape. That is why we decided to make this book with specialists who go along with us. It’s nothing more and nothing less, but the most luxurious way of spending time, we believe. Each page of this book feels like an unplanned journey, so we would be grateful if you casually join our adventure with empty hands.

We have launched the free trial of the Unusual Whales API. The Unusual Whales API gives full access to live options, equities, prediction market data, congress trades and much more. It is a must have for traders. Check it out here:

“We are feeding kids who would not have access to the level of nutrition that Once Upon a Farm offers.” Jennifer Garner says of the company's mission “It's been our north star.” The actress and cofounder of Once Upon a Farm shares what she’s learned in the first six months of leading a publicly traded company. Read the full story: Photo: Ethan Pines for Forbes #ForbesOver50#

“We are human beings who dream of dignity and peace.” Families in need are turning to TikTok to raise money. “The Weekend Intelligence” learns how social media are changing charity