Tekken series lead Katsuhiro Harada has asked fans to stop sending him their character ideas, because "the more specific and detailed the idea is, the less likely we are to adopt it" thanks to legal issues.
Ever-present on Twitter, Harada once again responded to a fan earlier this week, when they sent him their inspirations for a potential future Pakistani character in the Tekken series. In the very lengthy tweet below, Harada basically asks people to stop doing this, since it's apparently something he has to deal with quite a lot.
Okay, I have expressed this here several times, but since I keep getting the same post over and over again, let me reiterate it.First, it would be wise to stop showing us your "specific character ideas" on social networking sites or in letters to us.Instead, your actions will… https://t.co/0raeVPgqbUJuly 9, 2024
Why has Harada asked fans to stop sending him character concepts? The Tekken series director writes that, across his 30-odd-year career, he's typically steered well clear of taking on fan concepts for characters, because it will undoubtedly result in a lawsuit claiming that he stole the concept.
- "I didn’t have a single ally": Tekken 4's negative reception put series boss Katsuhiro Harada under so much stress that he left Namco for a year
- Tekken lead Katsuhiro Harada says he's spent decades "mentally preparing" for AI to overtake humans, but it's not happening: "If AI had really advanced, we wouldn't be pouring 10, 20, 30 billion Yen into making games"
Harada does acknowledge that some developers and publishers have deliberately sought fan feedback for things like character names in the past via "campaigns" in magazines. "However, many game companies stopped such initiatives and campaigns after such troubles, including lawsuits claiming rights despite having signed all kinds of consent forms in advance," Harada adds.
The Tekken lead adds that this isn't simply a case of determining whether Bandai Namco, or another developer, could win such a lawsuit. That's avoiding the bigger problem in the room: that developers don't want such a lawsuit from fans in the first place, regardless of whether or not they could actually win them. Getting sued by your fans ain't a good look, no matter the outcome.
Harada also moves to reassure Tekken fans that he's always listening to them regarding opinions surrounding games like Tekken 8, like balance issues with individual character's moves, for example. But, Harada points out, this is extremely different from listening to and accepting concepts and ideas for brand new elements like characters.
In other Katsuhiro Harada-oriented news, the veteran Tekken developer recently said he's going to start charging fans for lectures if they keep on assuming he hates their mains, and also explained why Tekken is still kicking while Soul Calibur has been left in the dust.
Take a look at our guide to the best fighting games if you're after something to rival Tekken's latest entry.
"I didn’t have a single ally": Tekken 4's negative reception put series boss Katsuhiro Harada under so much stress that he left Namco for a year
Tekken lead Katsuhiro Harada says he's spent decades "mentally preparing" for AI to overtake humans, but it's not happening: "If AI had really advanced, we wouldn't be pouring 10, 20, 30 billion Yen into making games"
