Former head of the Tekken series Katsuhiro Harada strongly criticized the Xbox Series S, stating that it would have been easier for developers if Microsoft had never released the console at all. Notably, the Japanese game designer made his comments during a public panel discussion attended by an Xbox representative.
According to Inven Global, the discussion took place at the Console Game Developers Conference 2026 in South Korea. The panel discussion also featured former president of Sony Interactive Entertainment Shuhei Yoshida, Shift Up technical director Dong Ki Lee, head of Too Kyo Games Kazutaka Kodaka, CD Projekt RED associate game director Paweł Sasko, and head of Ludeon Studios Tynan Sylvester.
The participants discussed the benefits of developing games for consoles and the challenges that arise when adapting projects for different platforms. Harada noted that consoles are particularly convenient for fighting game creators: thanks to a uniform hardware configuration, they are well-suited for tournaments and esports competitions.
However, the conversation then turned to the Xbox Series S, and Harada did not hide his feelings about Microsoft's junior console.
Since I have been given the floor, I want to say something. A high-ranking Xbox representative is present here today, so I wish a device like the Xbox Series S had never been released at all.
After that, he turned to Paweł Sasko, asking if he experienced similar frustration over having to work with the Xbox Series S. The CD Projekt RED representative laughed and diplomatically replied that the console constantly creates extra difficulties, forcing the team to optimize program code with particular care.
Harada agreed that developers have to face serious limitations and explained that the problem is not just the amount of RAM. According to him, the difficulty stems from the very concept of the Series S: the console is very similar to the Xbox Series X, yet has noticeably weaker performance.
As an example, Harada cited the Nintendo Switch 2. When developing for it, studios understand from the outset that they are dealing with a distinct platform aimed at Nintendo's audience. With the Xbox Series S, the situation is different: developers have to build a version of the game for a console that must run the same titles as the Series X, despite significantly more modest specifications.
An additional problem stems from the popularity of the lower-tier model. Harada noted that in some markets, including the US, there are more Xbox Series S owners than Series X users. Therefore, developers cannot simply ignore the device's limitations. After games are released, complaints about reduced texture resolution and other graphical downgrades are often directed at the developers rather than Microsoft.
Paweł Sasko, however, also pointed out the positive sides of the Series S's existence. According to him, optimizing games for less powerful hardware helps improve their performance across other platforms as well. As an example, he cited Cyberpunk 2077: work on optimizing the version for Nintendo Switch 2 subsequently benefited other editions of the game.
In addition, Sasko emphasized that the affordable price of the Xbox Series S helps Microsoft expand the console audience and attract players who are not ready to purchase the more expensive Series X.
Harada reacted with humor to his colleague's arguments, noting that Sasko presented the advantages of the Series S so eloquently that the Microsoft representative in the audience was constantly nodding in agreement. The developer even joked that he fears the appearance of a similar budget model in the next Xbox generation — a hypothetical Helix S.
Dong Ki Lee from Shift Up also joined the discussion. He expressed interest in Microsoft's next console, known by the working title Xbox Helix, and stated that his team is ready to begin developing games for the new platform as early as possible if they receive a development kit in South Korea.