Tekken Creator Harada Wishes Xbox Series S "Wouldn't Be Released"

Katsuhiro Harada, the former director and general manager behind the Tekken series at Bandai Namco, has openly criticized the Xbox Series S, saying he wishes hardware like it "wouldn't be released." Speaking at a game developer conference, Harada did not hold back despite reportedly sharing a stage with senior Xbox staff. He described the burden of supporting the lower-powered console as doing "extra work for a slightly weaker child," pointing to the additional development overhead that comes with optimizing games across two consoles with meaningfully different performance profiles.

Harada also expressed hope that Microsoft will not repeat the same approach with its next-generation hardware, specifically saying he hopes there won't be a "Helix S" equivalent when the successor to the current Xbox lineup arrives. The comments reflect a frustration that has long simmered among developers who must target both the Xbox Series X and the entry-level Series S simultaneously, with the latter's constraints often setting a ceiling on what is technically achievable in a given release. While Harada has since left Bandai Namco, his candid remarks carry weight given his decades of experience shipping major console titles.

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