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Tekken 8 director Kohei Ikeda joins Harada at SNK-backed VS Studio

Kohei Ikeda/Katsuhiro Harada

Kohei Ikeda, who directed Tekken 8 at Bandai Namco, has announced he is joining Katsuhiro Harada's VS Studio, reuniting two of the most prominent names in the Tekken franchise less than a year after Harada left to found the studio with SNK backing.

The details:

Ikeda, who goes by "Nakatsu" online, announced the move on social media on August 18. He left Bandai Namco in May 2026 after more than 20 years at the company, having served as Chief Producer and Game Director on Tekken 8.
Harada departed Bandai Namco in December 2025 and announced VS Studio in May 2026. The studio is Tokyo-based and operates independently, with support from SNK.
In his announcement, Ikeda said: "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 has not announced a project. With Ikeda now on board alongside Harada, two of the three most recent Tekken leads are working together again outside Bandai Namco.

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