Kohei Ikeda Joins SNK's VS Studio After Leaving Bandai Namco
The reunion of the core Tekken creative team under SNK's umbrella concentrates fighting game talent at a new studio, and Harada has stated that something where people compete against each other will be essential to the project.
Key Facts
- Kohei Ikeda announced on August 18 that he joined VS Studio SNK.
- Ikeda left Bandai Namco Studios in June 2026 after working there for 20 years.
- Katsuhiro Harada, former Tekken series producer, is CEO of VS Studio SNK.
- Yuichi Yonemori, former Tekken series director, is CCO of VS Studio SNK.
- The game in development at VS Studio SNK has not been announced.
Reporting from 4 sources: Denfaminicogamer, Automaton, GameBusiness.jp, Game Spark.
Kohei Ikeda, the game director known for Tekken 7 and Tekken 8, announced on August 18 that he has joined VS Studio SNK. Ikeda, also known by the nickname Nakatsu, left Bandai Namco Studios in June after 20 years at the company. He began his career at Enterbrain before moving to Bandai Namco, where he worked on numerous titles, especially the Tekken series, serving as game director and development producer for Tekken 8. VS Studio SNK is a development studio established in May with support from SNK. Its CEO is Katsuhiro Harada, who worked on the Tekken series with Ikeda and left Bandai Namco Studios in 2025. Yuichi Yonemori, another Tekken series veteran, is also part of the studio as CCO. In an X post, Ikeda said working on game development again with his two former bosses feels nostalgic and full of excitement from creating something new, and that he is very fulfilled. The game currently in development at VS Studio SNK has not been announced yet.
Ikeda reported his departure from Bandai Namco Studios on June 1, stating his aspiration to continue new challenges as a game developer. His next move was closely watched in the industry. The announcement that he has joined VS Studio SNK reunites him with Harada, who retired from Bandai Namco in 2025 and established the new company, and with Yonemori, who supported the Tekken series as a director.
VS Studio SNK was established in May with support from SNK. Harada has given interviews about why he decided to restart from zero, noting that he realized through various events that time is finite. He has also stated that there will certainly be expectations from the market and SNK, and that something where people compete against each other will be essential. The specific game in development has not been announced.
Ikeda's comment on the reunion was that it feels somewhat nostalgic, and at the same time full of stimulation to create new games, and that he is very fulfilled. Attention is increasingly focusing on the future of the new studio, where developers who devoted themselves to fighting game development, mainly in the Tekken series, have gathered.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 4 cited sources below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.
Sources
- Denfaminicogamer 『鉄拳7』『8』でゲームディレクターを務めた池田幸平氏、原田勝弘氏が率いる「VS Studio」に加入。池田氏は6月にバンダイナムコスタジオを退職したことを報告していた
- Automaton バンダイナムコを退職した“ナカツ”こと池田幸平氏、VS Studio SNKに加入。共に『鉄拳』シリーズを手がけた原田勝弘氏らと合流して新作開発へ
- GameBusiness.jp 『鉄拳8』ディレクターの元バンナム池田幸平氏がSNK傘下の「VS Studio」入社を報告―かつての上司とのゲーム開発はどこか懐かしくも新しい刺激
- Game Spark 『鉄拳8』ディレクターの元バンナム池田幸平氏がSNK傘下の「VS Studio」入社を報告―かつての上司とのゲーム開発はどこか懐かしくも新しい刺激