Kohei Ikeda joins Katsuhiro Harada at SNK-backed VS Studio

Kohei Ikeda, the former game director for Tekken 7 and Tekken 8, has officially joined VS Studio, a new Tokyo-based game development studio. This move reunites Ikeda with Katsuhiro Harada, the longtime Tekken producer who left Bandai Namco to found the studio in May 2026 with financial backing from SNK.

Ikeda, who spent approximately two decades at Bandai Namco, announced his transition via social media, expressing excitement about working alongside his former superiors to create something entirely new. He will be joined at the studio by other Tekken veterans, including Yuichi Yonemori.

While VS Studio has not yet revealed its first project, the collective expertise of its leadership in the fighting game genre has led to widespread industry speculation that the studio will focus on new combat-oriented titles. The studio is currently in a recruitment phase.