Renowned Japanese game developer and producer Katsuhiro Harada has joined SNK after leaving Bandai Namco. One of fighting games’ most recognizable faces joins the corporation behind The King of Fighters, Fatal Fury, and Samurai Shodown.
Harada is leading a new development studio called VS Studio, based in Shinagawa, Tokyo. He will serve as the studio’s CEO and Representative Director, with SNK supporting the new team as part of its wider development structure. The studio has not announced its first project yet.
Late last year, Harada ended his 31-year run at Bandai Namco Entertainment. He was one of the defining figures behind Tekken, working on the series across multiple decades and eventually becoming one of Bandai Namco’s most public-facing producers, and his exit felt like the end of an era for the series.
Now, he’ll work for one of Tekken’s historic fighting game rivals, though, through the messaging, it’s likely that Harada won’t be working on any of the aforementioned series.
VS Studio’s name is a very clear nod to Harada’s fighting game roots, but SNK went out of its way to add some mysterious, studio-announcement-core meaning to it. Apparently, it also stands for “Video game Soft,” the spirit of “Versus,” and ideas such as “Visionary Standard,” “Volition Shift,” and “Vanguard Spirit.” The studio’s stated philosophy is “Beyond tradition, crafted to perfection.”
SNK’s Yasuyuki Oda welcomed Harada as both a long-time friend and rival, adding that the two sides had discussed working together before. He commented:
I am extremely proud to welcome Mr. Katsuhiro Harada, who has been a long-time friend and a worthy rival to us, into our group. We’ve long discussed the hypothetical scenario of working together, and now that dream has become a reality. To be honest, nothing has been decided yet, but I have no doubt that things will become even more exciting than ever before. We look forward to your continued support for SNK and VS Studio.
Right now, it’s unknown if VS Studio is a purely fighting game developer or if Harada has his sights set beyond his familiar genre.
