Bandai Namco has now lost three Tekken veterans to SNK’s VS Studio
Two-thirds of the Tekken Project’s leadership have joined SNK-owned VS Studio, with the recent addition being former Tekken 8 game director Kohei Ikeda. This raises questions about Tekken's future and what VS Studio is actually up to, as a high-profile trio of Tekken veterans has yet to announce a project or game.
In the post, Ikeda confirmed the news and, alongside a photo of himself next to Harada and Yonemori, said:
“I’ve joined VS Studio as the next step in my journey. Working on games again with two of my former bosses feels nostalgic in many ways, while the excitement of creating something completely new makes every day incredibly fulfilling. I’m really looking forward to seeing what we can create together."
What raises even more questions is that SNK-owned VS Studio is now run by former Tekken poster face and producer Katsuhiro Harada. Harada, now VS Studio’s CEO, showed his talent with Tekken 3 and worked at Bandai Namco for three decades, but it’s now been three months since he joined VS Studio.
Joining him is another Tekken veteran, Yuichi Yonemori, who worked at Bandai Namco for 31 years and served as game director for Tekken Tag Tournament 2 and Tekken 6.
An interesting turn of events with no game announcements just yet
It's strange that the Tekken veterans are jumping ship in favor of VS Studio. VS Studio was established in Tokyo in May 2026 and is a subsidiary of SNK, which is now under the control of Electronic Gaming Development Company, an investment arm entirely owned by Saudi Arabia’s Mohammad Bin Salman Foundation.
Even stranger, VS Studio has yet to announce a single project, and for now, the company is leaning on its branding philosophy rather than updating players on what it's actually working on.
SNK's producer has also tempered expectations by stating in the studio’s launch press release that “nothing has been decided yet.” For now, VS Studio comprises three legendary Tekken veterans sharing an office for a game that has yet to be envisioned, in what feels like a very well-funded waiting room.
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