Tekken Veteran Katsuhiro Harada and SNK Launch VS Studio as a New Fighting Game Power Move 4 Months After His Bandai Namco Exit
Katsuhiro Harada is back in the industry faster than many expected. SNK officially announced on May 13, 2026 that it has invested in a newly established game development studio led by Harada, with the new company created on May 1, 2026 and set to be brought into the SNK group as a consolidated subsidiary. The studio is publicly launching as VS Studio, while SNK’s official release lists the company name as VS Studio SNK Co., Ltd.
That makes this a notable return only about 4 months after Harada’s departure from Bandai Namco at the end of 2025, a move he previously tied to Tekken’s 30th anniversary and the feeling that it was the right time to close one chapter of his career. His exit marked the end of a 31 year run connected to Namco and later Bandai Namco, where he became one of the most recognizable figures in fighting games and one of the public faces most closely associated with the Tekken franchise.
SNK says the new studio and SNK will collaborate on game software development to strengthen overall development capabilities, which immediately gives the project more weight than a typical startup announcement. This is not just a loose publishing agreement or advisory role. SNK is explicitly backing the company’s launch and planning to absorb it into its broader corporate structure, which suggests the publisher sees real strategic value in Harada’s leadership and long term development experience.
Harada’s own comments also make the creative direction feel deliberate rather than accidental. He said VS Studio’s philosophy is “Beyond tradition, crafted to perfection,” and explained that the “VS” name carries several meanings, including roots in “Video game Soft,” the spirit of “Versus,” and ideas such as “Visionary Standard,” “Volition Shift,” and “Vanguard Spirit.” Even without a game announcement yet, that language strongly points toward a studio identity built around competition, challenge, and a premium design philosophy that fits naturally within the fighting game space. That is an inference based on Harada’s own framing of the studio name and philosophy.
SNK President Yasuyuki Oda added even more intrigue by calling Harada a long time friend and worthy rival, and said the 2 had discussed the idea of working together for years before finally making it happen. Oda also admitted that nothing specific has been decided yet, which means the studio is still early in its public life, but the combination of SNK funding and Harada’s background is already enough to make VS Studio one of the more interesting new game development stories in Japan this year.
For fighting game fans, the big question now is obvious. Harada helped define one of the genre’s most influential 3D franchises, and now he is stepping into a new studio backed by one of the most historic names in fighting games. Whether VS Studio ends up building a new competitive IP, contributing to existing SNK plans, or heading in a broader action direction, the setup has all the ingredients to become one of the most closely watched post Bandai Namco moves in the genre. SNK has not announced the studio’s first project yet, so for now the launch is more about long term intent than immediate product details.
And yes, even in a brand new chapter, some things probably will not change. Fans who know Harada’s long running online persona will remember the classic rule well. Just don’t Ask for shit!.
What kind of first project would you want from VS Studio most: a brand new fighting game, a crossover concept, or something completely unexpected?
