Tekken's Katsuhiro Harada opens new VS Studio for longtime fighting game rival SNK

Big news in the fighting game world as previous Tekken producer Katsuhiro Harada joins a once strong rival, SNK.

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In December 2025, Katsuhiro Harada announced he was leaving Bandai Namco and the Tekken franchise. The update was a big blow to the Tekken community, as Harada is seen as an irreplaceable force in the fighting game world. Now it's been revealed that Harada didn't actually retire--he just changed sides.

Today, Harada reveals VS Studio, a new subsidiary of SNK that will focus on new games, including--you guessed it--fighting titles. After all, SNK is best known for titles like King of Fighters and Fatal Fury. According to a press release, VS Studio has the tagline "beyond tradition, crafted to perfection," and the VS in the group's name has multiple meanings--versus, video game software, visionary standard, volition shift, and vanguard spirit.

"Built on the knowledge and passion we have cultivated over many years on the front lines of game development, we are now beginning a new challenge," Harada said on Twitter.

"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."

"With investment from SNK, VS Studio receives long-term, continuous support. As an independent studio, we can stay focused on creativity while expanding our challenges on a strong foundation of support."

No details on VS Studio's first project have been discussed or revealed so far.

This growing investment may be the result of Saudi Arabia's continued upped stake in gaming. Under the Electronic Gaming Development Company (EGDC), Saudi Arabia currently has a 96% stake in SNK Global via share purchases made by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund.

We've also seen similar studios make moves like this in the past, including NetEase, who far overreached by opening multiple studios after COVID-19 earnings spikes, only to go and close these same studios years later.

SNK is also gearing up to release a new fully-fledged Neo Geo re-release console set to launch later this year.