Tekken Veteran Katsuhiro Harada Joins SNK To Lead New VS Studio in Tokyo
Five months after leaving Bandai Namco, Katsuhiro Harada has his next chapter. SNK announced on Tuesday that the longtime Tekken producer has been appointed Representative Director and CEO of VS Studio, a newly established game development studio headquartered in Shinagawa, Tokyo. The studio was officially formed on May 1, 2026, and operates as a consolidated SNK subsidiary. The two companies will collaborate on game software development going forward.
Anyone who's followed the fighting game industry for the past three decades would know how big a deal this is. Harada spent 31 years at Bandai Namco, where he served as the face of Tekken since joining the development team in 1994. He eventually became executive game director, chief producer, marketing director, and, eventually, general manager. He announced his departure in December 2025, citing the loss of close friends and colleagues and a reflection on how he wanted to spend his remaining years as a creator. The natural question after that announcement was always: what comes next? The answer turned out to be SNK.
Rivals Become Teammates
Yasuyuki Oda, the legendary SNK game designer behind decades of Fatal Fury and The King of Fighters, welcomed Harada warmly: "I am extremely proud to welcome Mr. Katsuhiro Harada, who has been a long-time friend and a worthy rival to us, into our group," says Oda. "We've long discussed the hypothetical scenario of working together, and now that dream has become a reality." Tekken and The King of Fighters were defining pillars of the fighting game genre for decades, competing for arcade fighters' attention from stores to homes through consoles. Now, their architects are colleagues.
"Beyond Tradition, Crafted to Perfection"
Harada has framed the studio's identity around two ideas baked right into its name. "VS" stands for "Video game Soft (VS Development Division)," but it also carries "the spirit of 'Versus' challenging tradition." The studio's stated philosophy is "Beyond tradition, crafted to perfection." In Harada's words: "We will combine technology, sensibility, and world-class expertise to pursue the ultimate. From a free, open, and spacious environment, we will generate new ideas and create memorable games."
One former colleague has already joined him at the new venture: Yuichi Yonemori, who served as director on multiple Tekken games, including Tekken Tag Tournament 1 and 2, has come aboard as chief creative officer. Recruiting is ongoing, with the studio's website set to launch in June 2026.
Will VS Studio Make a Fighting Game?
The obvious question - given Harada's history and SNK's catalog - is whether VS Studio will end up working on SNK's fighting game IP. Speaking to 4Gamer, Harada was careful but didn't rule it out: "Speaking personally, there are certainly things I'd like to do. However, since it belongs to SNK, I can't really say anything too freely. This isn't about hiding anything; it simply means that nothing has been decided yet. In the 1990s, I could have easily dabbled in it, but nowadays, development can easily take 4-5 years."
He did confirm that future projects won't deviate from the action and competitive player-versus-player elements he's known for. So while the door isn't closed on something like a Harada-led Fatal Fury or King of Fighters project, the realistic expectation is a longer development cycle on something that may or may not be a fighting game in the traditional sense. What's clear is that VS Studio exists to make competitive games, and it's led by a n industry veteran known for this type of work.
The official SNK press release is available on the SNK Corporation website.
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This story was originally published May 13, 2026 at 3:18 AM.