Katsuhiro Harada

Katsuhiro Harada is CEO of VS Studio SNK, a development studio established with SNK's support after he left Bandai Namco in 2025. The studio's first game has not been announced.

Synthesized from 2 Yomimono stories · updated Aug 23

Katsuhiro Harada left Bandai Namco at the end of 2025, and in May 2026 SNK announced that he would lead a new studio, VS Studio SNK. SNK invested in the studio as a consolidated subsidiary, and the two companies are collaborating on game software development. The studio was established in May with support from SNK.

Since then, the studio has drawn in the core creative team Harada worked with on the Tekken series. Kohei Ikeda, game director for Tekken 7 and Tekken 8, joined VS Studio SNK in August after leaving Bandai Namco Studios in June, and Yuichi Yonemori, another Tekken veteran, is part of the studio as CCO. Ikeda said working on game development again with his two former bosses feels nostalgic and full of excitement from creating something new.

Harada has stated that something where people compete against each other will be essential to the project in development. The game itself has not been announced yet.

Key facts

Current role: CEO of VS Studio SNK ↗
Departure from Bandai Namco: Left Bandai Namco at the end of 2025 ↗
Studio launch: VS Studio SNK was established in May with support from SNK ↗
SNK investment: SNK invested in the studio as a consolidated subsidiary and collaborates on game software development ↗
Project direction: Harada stated that something where people compete against each other will be essential to the project ↗
Current project status: The game in development at VS Studio SNK has not been announced ↗

Timeline

Aug 18, 2026 Kohei Ikeda Joins SNK's VS Studio After Leaving Bandai Namco
May 19, 2026 Former Tekken Producer Katsuhiro Harada Launches VS Studio SNK

Synthesized by Yomimono from the cited Yomimono stories below, each itself sourced, then editorially reviewed. Every fact links the story it came from.

Connections

Staff change of: snk

Structured graph also available as JSON at /public/entities/katsuhiro-harada. CC BY 4.0.

Claim activity

When a claim about Katsuhiro Harada was confirmed, debunked, or disputed against open-web sources. The record stays even after a claim drops off the facts list.

Confirmed snk staff change katsuhiro harada May 28 · source

All coverage

Aug 18

Kohei Ikeda Joins SNK's VS Studio After Leaving Bandai Namco

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.

May 19

Former Tekken Producer Katsuhiro Harada Launches VS Studio SNK

SNK announced the launch of VS Studio SNK, a new game studio led by former Tekken producer Katsuhiro Harada. SNK has invested in the studio as a consolidated subsidiary, and the two companies will collaborate on game software development. Harada left Bandai Namco at the end of 2025.