Tekken 8 Director Kohei Ikeda Joins Katsuhiro Harada's VS Studio as Game Designer

Former Tekken 8 chief producer and game director Kohei Ikeda has officially joined Katsuhiro Harada's VS Studio as a game designer, ending a roughly two-month stretch of speculation about his next move after he stepped down from Bandai Namco Entertainment in June.

Ikeda announced the move himself on social media, saying: "I've joined VS Studio as the next step in my journey. Working on games again with two of my former bosses feels nostalgic in many ways, while at the same time, the excitement of creating something completely new makes every day incredibly fulfilling. I'm really looking forward to seeing what we can create together!"

VS Studio is the SNK-owned, Harada-led development house that launched earlier in 2026, with Harada serving as president and CEO and longtime Tekken designer and director Yuichi Yonemori as CCO. SNK has invested in the studio and intends to make it a consolidated subsidiary. Yonemori was a designer and director on the Tekken series since 1999, and Ikeda previously worked with both Harada and Yonemori during his two decades at Bandai Namco.

"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," Harada said when VS Studio was announced. "VS Studio is one answer to that question. By bringing together technology and knowledge, and working with passionate colleagues, we aim to deliver the best gaming experiences."

Ikeda left Bandai Namco in June after twenty years with the company, saying at the time that he would "continue taking on new challenges as a game developer" without disclosing his plans. The new role at VS Studio marks a return to working on fighting games and reunites him with two of the people who shaped his career, while also putting him inside a studio that is being positioned as SNK's flagship external development arm for new IP.

SNK's official press channels and the VS Studio site have not yet posted a press release on the hire, but the appointment was confirmed independently by multiple outlets after Ikeda's own social media post.