Former Tekken producer Katsuhiro Harada has officially joined SNK following his departure from Bandai Namco Entertainment after more than 31 years.
Harada announced the formation of a brand-new development studio called SNK VS Studio, located in Shinagawa, Tokyo, where he will serve as CEO.
According to Harada, the “VS” name represents multiple meanings, including “Video Game Soft” and the spirit of “versus” challenging tradition. The studio’s philosophy is described as “Beyond tradition, crafted to perfection,” with a focus on combining technology, creativity, and veteran development experience to create memorable games.
While Harada stopped short of confirming exactly what the studio is working on, he made it clear that his future projects will continue to focus on action gameplay and competitive player-versus-player experiences the genres he’s become synonymous with through decades of work on Tekken.
The move also brings Harada closer to one of fighting games’ most iconic publishers. SNK is best known for franchises including:
- The King of Fighters
- Fatal Fury
- Samurai Shodown
When asked about potentially working on SNK’s own IPs in the future, Harada admitted there are “certainly things” he’d like to do, though nothing has been officially decided yet.
Joining him at VS Studio is long-time collaborator Yuichi Yonemori, who previously directed multiple Tekken titles including Tekken Tag Tournament and Tekken Tag Tournament 2.
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SNK veteran Yasuyuki Oda described Harada as both a long-time friend and rival, saying the opportunity to finally work together felt like “a dream become reality.”
Harada previously stated that recent retirements and the loss of colleagues within the industry played a major role in his decision to leave Bandai Namco and rethink how he wanted to spend the remaining years of his career as a creator.
With Harada now leading his own studio under SNK, fighting game fans are already speculating about what this new chapter could mean for the future of the genre.
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