‘Tekken’ Producer to Supervise Bandai Namco Esports Strategy Team

By Stefanie Fogel

LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – Long-time “Tekken” series producer Katsuhiro Harada is now the leader and supervisor of publisher Bandai Namco’s fighting game esports strategy team, he announced on Twitter Thursday.

is committed to expanding the community and tournament scenes for three of its fighting franchises, Harada said. Namely, “Dragon Ball FighterZ,” “Tekken,” and “SoulCalibur.”

“First I would like to express my sincere gratitude to everyone who held and/or participated in various tournaments this year,” he said. “We are already planning to have as many official tournaments as possible for next year while [we] continue supporting tournaments held by the community. Furthermore, we are dedicated to figuring out ways where we can assist tournaments and community activities in the future.”

This news is particularly interesting for “” fans who were starting to doubt its future in esports. The game is very popular, reportedly selling over 3.5 million copies in one year. It reportedly set a viewership record during EVO 2018 and its star player, Dominique “SonicFox” McLean, was just crowned esports player of the year at The Game Awards 2018. But, recently, it’s been pulled from some major tournaments like EVO Japan 2019 and Anime Ascension with no explanation, according to Dual Shockers . Many pointed fingers at Toei Animation, which owns the “Dragon Ball” property, but the company denied any knowledge of the cancelled tournaments on its official Twitter on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, Harada said anyone with questions about holding or participating in tournaments can contact the local Bandai Namco office in their respective region.