Overview
- On Tuesday, August 18, 2026, Kohei Ikeda posted that he has joined VS Studio, reuniting with Katsuhiro Harada and Yuichi Yonemori at the SNK-backed developer.
- VS Studio is led by Harada as president and CEO with Yonemori as chief creative officer and is based in Shinagawa, Tokyo, where it is actively recruiting staff.
- Ikeda served as game director on Tekken 7 and Tekken 8 and left Bandai Namco in June after roughly 20 years at the company.
- VS Studio has not announced its first game, and reporting frames expectations that the studio will pursue a one-on-one fighting title as industry speculation rather than confirmed plans.
- The reunion follows senior turnover around Tekken 8 after its launch and could reshape the fighting-game landscape if the team’s debut project draws on their Tekken experience, so the industry is watching hires and the studio’s first reveal.