Published May 13, 2026, 4:56 AM EDT

Katsuhiro Harada joins SNK with new developer studio

Image: Bandai Namco

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Here comes a new challenger: Fighting games legend Katsuhiro Harada, who directed and produced many games in the Tekken franchise, has joined SNK Corporation to found a new development studio. VSStudioSNK was established on May 1, and it will be a consolidated subsidiary of SNK, with Harada acting as representative director and CEO.

Harada's departure from Bandai Namco in December 2025, after more than three decades with the company, made waves in the industry. Harada explained that the decision was motivated by personal and professional losses, which many attributed to the death of his long-time rival Tomonobu Iganaki , creator of the Dead or Alive series and director of 2004's Ninja Gaiden .…