Tekken 8 Director Has Joined Harada’s VS Studio

Ikeda Reunites With His Former Boss

Kohei Ikeda, known to the Tekken community as “Nakatsu,” has confirmed he’s joined VS Studio, the SNK-owned development studio led by former Tekken series producer Katsuhiro Harada. Ikeda served as chief producer and game director on Tekken 8, and previously directed Tekken 7.

“I’ve joined VS STUDIO as the next step in my journey,” he wrote on X.

“Working on games again with two of my former bosses feels nostalgic in many ways, while at the same time, the excitement of creating something completely new makes every day incredibly fulfilling. I’m really looking forward to seeing what we can create together!” said Kohei on reuniting with Harada for his next project.

The move follows Ikeda’s departure from Bandai Namco in June 2026, after roughly 20 years at the company. In fuller comments shared alongside the announcement, Ikeda reflected on what the Tekken franchise had meant to him personally, saying it “had a tremendous impact on my life and one that I always hoped to someday give back to,” and describing his time working alongside “passionate and incredibly talented mentors and colleagues” as one of the most cherished experiences of his career.

What VS Studio Actually Is

VS Studio was founded by Harada on May 1, 2026, roughly five months after he left Bandai Namco following a 30-plus year career largely defined by his work as Tekken’s director and producer since the mid-1990s. SNK announced its investment in the new Tokyo-based studio shortly after, positioning it as a consolidated subsidiary that will collaborate with SNK on future game development.

Harada described the studio’s philosophy as “Beyond tradition, crafted to perfection,” with the “VS” name intended to carry several meanings at once, referencing “Video game Soft,” the spirit of competitive “Versus” play, and phrases like “Visionary Standard” and “Vanguard Spirit.”

No project has been formally announced yet, though the studio’s SNK backing and Harada’s fighting game pedigree have fueled plenty of speculation that its first game could land somewhere in that genre. With Ikeda now on board alongside Harada, VS Studio has reunited two of Tekken 8’s most senior creative voices under one roof, giving the still-unannounced project real pedigree even before its first reveal.

It’s a notable pairing for a franchise that Harada spent years shaping publicly through direct fan engagement, and one that reached over 10 million sales by 2022 with Tekken 7 alone before Ikeda took the series into its eighth mainline entry.

Bandai Namco has continued supporting Tekken 8 in the meantime, with new content still rolling out under its current team. Whether VS Studio ends up building something in the same fighting game space or heading in a completely different direction remains to be seen.