Katsuhiro Harada, the legendary producer behind the *Tekken* series since its very first installment all the way to *Tekken 8*, announced his departure from Bandai Namco Entertainment last year, stepping down from his role overseeing the iconic fighting game franchise. Fans have been buzzing ever since, wondering what his next move would be.
Well, wonder no more! Late tonight (May 13), SNK Corporation dropped a bombshell announcement: they're investing in "VS Studio SNK," a brand-new game development studio founded by Harada on May 1, 2026. Not only that, but it's also set to become a consolidated subsidiary under the SNK Group, sending ripples of excitement through the gaming community.
The official word is that the new game development studio, "VS Studio SNK Co., Ltd.," officially launched on May 1st this year, with Katsuhiro Harada at the helm as Representative Director and CEO. SNK isn't just helping establish the new studio; they're also planning to bring it in as a group subsidiary.
Moving forward, VS Studio SNK will work hand-in-hand with SNK on game development, supercharging their development capabilities.
SNK also shared a statement from Katsuhiro Harada himself regarding his new role as CEO:
“We've just launched a brand-new game development studio, ‘VS Studio SNK’—or simply VS Studio—driven by the philosophy of ‘Beyond tradition, crafted to perfection.’ Our goal is to bring together top-tier technology, artistic sensibility, and world-class knowledge and experience to constantly push boundaries. We aim to foster an environment that's free, open, and creatively spacious, allowing fresh ideas to flourish and crafting gaming experiences that resonate deeply with players. This studio was founded precisely to turn that vision into reality.”
“The ‘VS’ in our name holds multiple meanings. It harks back to our roots in ‘Video game Soft’ (VS Development Department), but it also embodies the ‘Versus’ spirit of challenging tradition. Beyond that, it encompasses concepts of innovation and challenge like ‘Visionary Standard,’ ‘Volition Shift,’ and ‘Vanguard Spirit.’ Throughout my many years in game development, I've constantly pondered: ‘What path should I take as a developer in the future?’ and ‘What kind of environment truly empowers developers to perform at their best?’ VS Studio is one of my answers to those questions.”
“We aspire to combine technology and knowledge with passionate teammates to deliver the ultimate gaming experiences to players worldwide. VS Studio will be a studio that continuously embraces challenges, and we're also starting to recruit new, like-minded partners. Please look forward to the future evolution of VS Studio!”
Harada also posted on his personal X account, stating his excitement to embrace new challenges, fueled by his years of frontline industry experience and passion.
Naturally, this move has everyone wondering what fresh new direction Harada will bring to SNK under his new studio. As for future projects or initiatives, we'll just have to wait for the official reveals!
via： PR TIMES