At 5:55 p.m. on August 18, 2026, Japan time (August 17 in North America), Kohei Ikeda (@nkt_dreamer) announced on his own X account that he had joined VS Studio, a new studio headed by CEO Katsuhiro Harada (@Harada_TEKKEN).

Ikeda’s post was written in both Japanese and English. In English, he wrote:

【A Quick Update】 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!

Photo attached to Kohei Ikeda's announcement post

Ikeda has not revealed who the “two former bosses” mentioned in his post are. Harada quoted the announcement on his own X account the same day. According to Ikeda’s X profile, his role at VS Studio is game designer.

x.comKohei Ikeda’s announcement post

Left Bandai Namco Studios after 20 years

Ikeda had previously reported on X that he left Bandai Namco Studios on June 1, 2026, Japan time. That post read:

Announcement: After 20 incredible years, I have left Bandai Namco Studios. Thank you all for your support.

By his own account, he was with the company for 20 years. Regarding his work on the TEKKEN series, 4Gamer.net, a Japanese outlet, reported in an article the same day that Ikeda “has served as a game director and development producer on the TEKKEN series, and was originally a fighting game player who went by the player name ‘Nakatsu’” (translated from Japanese). He also lists his player name as Nakatsu on his own X account.

An SNK subsidiary, but not 100% owned

VS Studio was established on May 1, 2026, Japan time. It was announced on May 12, 2026, Japan time, in an SNK press release and on Harada’s X account. A note dated May 16, 2026, Japan time, from the studio itself appears in the NEWS section of its official website.

VS Studio is a subsidiary of SNK, but its independence is guaranteed, and it is not a 100%-owned subsidiary of SNK. (translated from Japanese)

This explanation appears only on the Japanese-language official site. According to its official X profile, the studio is based in TOKYO, JAPAN, and the official site’s tagline is “Beyond tradition, crafted to perfection.”

VS Studio's office

vs-studio.comVS Studio official website

The official X profile reads “Rooted in 1990s Video Game Soft R&D,” and the studio describes itself as having roots in 1990s game software R&D. On May 14, 2026, Japan time, an announcement video featuring a message from Harada was promoted on the official X account. The studio primarily communicates through @VS_Studio_Inc.

New project: “We’d rather not say anything for at least three years”

No title or genre has been announced for the new project. On August 12, 2026, Japan time, Harada replied on X to a post asking when it would be announced:

If possible, we’d rather not say anything for at least three years hehehe