SNK announces new studio lead by Tekken veteran Katsuhiro Harada

SNK says it will invest in VS Studio, a new team founded by Katsuhiro Harada, and intends to support its launch as a consolidated subsidiary. The stated goal is to collaborate on game software development and strengthen both companies’ development capabilities, though SNK’s own producer Yasuyuki Oda admitted that “nothing has been decided yet” on the specifics.

For devs, this is notable because Harada spent decades shaping Tekken at Bandai Namco and brings a lot of fighting-game production experience, public-facing community management, and cross-project leadership. Harada says VS Studio is about combining technology, sensibility, and “world-class expertise,” and he’s already framing it as a hiring push for people who want a different development environment. The broader context is SNK trying to deepen its internal capabilities after Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves, while also operating under Saudi majority ownership that has drawn attention for some of its publishing decisions.