Following Kohei Ikeda’s departure from Bandai Namco back in June, the former chief producer and director of Tekken 8 has now joined fellow former director on the fighting game Katsuhiro Harada at the latter’s new studio – VS Studio SNK. As caught by Automaton Media, Ikeda made the announcement through a social media post.
“I’ve joined VS STUDIO as the next step in my journey. Working on games again with two of my former bosses feels nostalgic in many ways, while at the same time, the excitement of creating something completely new makes every day incredibly fulfilling. I’m really looking forward to seeing what we can create together!”
VS Studio SNK was founded by Harada back in May, and as its name implies, its creation involved an investment from Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves developer SNK Corporation. In a video announcing the studio, Harada said that the name had several meanings with roots in game development.
“It traces back to our roots in a video game software development team, and represents ideas such as Visionary Standard, Volition Shift, and Vanguard Spirit. The philosophy embedded in the name VS defines who we are as a studio. Beyond tradition, crafted to perfection. That is what we strive for.”
VS Studio SNK hasn’t officially announced any project yet, and as of May, Harada had said that the team was still in recruitment mode for new members “who share our vision”. However, as its name, its partnership with SNK, and the involvement of Harada and Ikeda would imply, it will likely end up being a fighting game of some kind.
Back when Ikeda announced his departure from Bandai Namco, he spoke about his time at the company, which first started during the development of Soulcalibur 4. He then got to work on the Tekken franchise, which he noted: “had a tremendous impact on my life and one that I always hoped to someday give back to.”
“Being surrounded by passionate and incredibly talented mentors and colleagues, and dedicating ourselves wholeheartedly to game development together, remains one of the most cherished experiences of my life.”
Ikeda’s departure came after he served as game director on Tekken 7 and 8, and in his announcement, he also thanked the people who had worked alongside him on the fighting games.
Ikeda’s departure followed Harada’s from back in December 2025. In his announcement, Harada spoke about Tekken hitting its 30th anniversary, and said that it was the “most fitting moment” to start a new chapter of his life.
“My roots lie in the days when I supported small local tournaments in Japanese arcades and in small halls and community centers overseas,” he wrote. “I still remember carrying arcade cabinets by myself, encouraging people to ‘Please try Tekken,’ and directly facing the players right in front of me. The conversations and atmosphere we shared in those places became the core of who I am as a developer and game creator.”
In the meantime, Bandai Namco has continued developing and supporting Tekken 8, and is getting ready to add Bob to the fighting game’s roster later this week.
