{"id":50801,"date":"2025-08-07T19:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-08-07T10:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/?p=50801"},"modified":"2025-08-07T16:39:13","modified_gmt":"2025-08-07T07:39:13","slug":"tekken-lead-once-tried-to-put-a-muscular-pac-man-into-the-franchise-but-got-scolded-by-the-ips-creator","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/news\/tekken-lead-once-tried-to-put-a-muscular-pac-man-into-the-franchise-but-got-scolded-by-the-ips-creator\/","title":{"rendered":"Tekken lead once tried to put a muscular Pac-Man into the franchise, but got scolded by the IP\u2019s creator\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Though Tekken <\/strong>series producer Katsuhiro Harada wasn\u2019t directly involved in the creation of the new Metroidvania-style Pac-Man game Shadow Labyrinth, he did help out with the title\u2019s marketing, serving as a bridge between Japanese and overseas staff. As one of the few original Namco employees still working under Bandai Namco, Harada recalls being mentored by Pac-Man creator T\u014dru Iwatani.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a recent 4Gamer interview<\/a>, Harada reveals that he wanted to include Pac-Man as a playable fighter in the PS1\u2019s first Tekken game. Unlike the character\u2019s original design – which is round and non-humanoid – Harada wanted Tekken\u2019s Pac-Man to be a person with a yellow head and muscular body in a similar vein to characters like Paul and King. Brimming with confidence, Harada pitched the idea to Iwatani, thinking it would \u201cdefinitely\u201d pass. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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However, Iwatani shut down Harada\u2019s proposal, angrily scolding his colleague for his reckless handling of Namco\u2019s mascot. According to Harada, Iwatani then presented him with a thick document detailing the various guidelines for for featuring Pac-Man in other works<\/a>. Needless to say, Harada never thought of including a Pac-Man-based fighter in Tekken ever again.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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