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Tuesday, May 12th, 2026
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Katsuhiro
Harada and SNK Launch New Game Studio
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 The
landscape of the fighting game genre underwent a seismic shift today, May
12th, 2026, as industry icon Katsuhiro Harada officially announced the
formation of his new venture, "VS Studio," in partnership
with SNK. This transition follows his monumental departure from Bandai
Namco, a company he served for over three decades since the inception of
the TEKKEN
series in 1994. Harada's career has been defined by his hands-on
approach to development, famously recalling the early days of the 1990s
when he personally transported arcade cabinets to local tournaments to
foster community engagement. His departure marks the end of an era for the
TEKKEN franchise, which he shepherded from its humble beginnings
in the arcade era to its status as a global esports phenomenon,
consistently pushing the boundaries of 3D fighting mechanics and narrative
depth.
As
of December 2025, legendary
TEKKEN creator and developer Katsuhiro Harada no longer worked at
Bandai Namco, closing out a legendary 30-year career. We weren't sure if
Harada-san was semi-retiring or retiring completely from the industry at
the time of that bittersweet news, but fans of his works can rejoice as we
head into a new chapter in gaming history. While fighting game fans
naturally think "Versus" is the new studio's name,
"VS" actually has several different meanings, explained by
Harada-san himself in SNK's announcement video (above).
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The
announcement of VS Studio, a collaborative effort with SNK, signals a new
chapter for Harada, appointed as "Representative" of the studio.
Harada has expressed a desire to return to the "core" of game
creation and has surrounded himself with fellow developers he trusts
deeply, following the personal and professional reflections that prompted
his exit from Bandai Namco. As the industry looks toward the future,
Harada's move to join forces with SNK—a company with its own storied
history in titles like The
King of Fighters and Fatal
Fury—could lead to unprecedented innovations in the genre.
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Harada's previous work with SNK—such as
the inclusion of Geese
Howard in TEKKEN 7—made
it clear that he has always been an admirer of SNK character designs and
games from the NEOGEO era.
By combining his decades of experience in 3D fighting game
architecture with SNK's legacy in 2D mechanics, Harada could be aiming to
redefine the fighting game landscape with brand new IPs or may have a lead
role in designing games starring SNK's own characters (who have been
appearing in other gaming IPs and hosting guest crossovers in their own
franchises).
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"Having been involved in game development for many years,
I’ve constantly considered how I want to spend my time as a developer
and what kind of environment allows developers to perform at their best.
VS Studio is one answer to that question," Harada said in the press
release. You can read SNK's full press
release on their official website. Whatever the future holds, we are
very excited to hear more about VS Studio's future projects and will keep
you up to date on the latest as soon as we know more! Stay tuned on The
Fighters Generation for continued coverage.
~TFG Webmaster, Frank Joseph
| @Fighters_Gen
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| Sources:
@Harada_TEKKEN,
SNK,
SNK
Official (YouTube)
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Related
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Katsuhiro Harada, the
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World
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SNK
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Heroes Perfect is coming to Steam with rollback netcode, practice mode...
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Following
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revealed new character "Zohar"
for the title.
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