After three decades steering one of gaming's most storied fighting franchises, Katsuhiro Harada has made his exit official. The legendary director has established VS Studio, a new development company formed in partnership with SNK, the powerhouse behind The King of Fighters and Samurai Showdown.
Harada's 31-year tenure at Bandai Namco ended in December, a split that came after mounting tensions over the Tekken franchise and his relationship with the publisher. He will lead VS Studio as representative director and CEO from headquarters in Tokyo's Shinagawa-ku district.
The studio's name carries layered meaning beyond the obvious competitive connotation. VS reflects both the company's roots in Video game Software design and a commitment to embracing challenge. Harada also framed the acronym as encompassing Visionary Standard, Volition Shift, and Vanguard Spirit, signaling an ambition to push creative boundaries.
"We will combine technology, sensibility, and world-class expertise to pursue the ultimate," Harada said in a statement. "From a free, open, and spacious environment, we will generate new ideas and create memorable games."
The partnership with SNK, a studio with deep expertise in fighting games, raises obvious questions about what Harada's first project might be. His track record and the choice of collaborator suggest the genre he helped define remains central to his vision.
Harada's final years at Bandai Namco were marked by public friction. Tekken 8 sparked significant player backlash over design decisions and monetization, forcing him to wade into social media disputes repeatedly. He defended the team's direction while acknowledging complaints about premium stage DLC and other controversial choices. Earlier, he had been equally candid about why Soul Calibur faded from the publisher's portfolio and his unsuccessful push to include Colonel Sanders as a playable character in Tekken.
His departure signals a deeper dissatisfaction with working within a large corporate structure. In explaining the move, Harada reflected on how to best spend his remaining years as a developer and what environment allows talent to thrive. VS Studio is his answer to that question.
"By bringing together technology and knowledge, and working with passionate colleagues, we aim to deliver the best gaming experiences to users worldwide," he said. The studio is already recruiting team members aligned with its vision, though no game announcements have been made.
The formation of VS Studio marks a significant reshuffle in the fighting game landscape. Harada's departure from Bandai Namco removes one of the genre's most visible and vocal creative figures from a major publisher, while his partnership with SNK reunites him with a studio equally committed to competitive gameplay and franchise legacy.
Author Emily Chen: "Harada's exit from Bandai Namco after three decades isn't just a personnel shuffle; it's a referendum on how large publishers treat the creative leaders who build their biggest franchises."
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