{"rewrite":{"id":"r_51e6156d20f42c3b65a20a45","clusterId":"c_e27dfb0d8d32926dc9b110e4","slug":"kohei-ikeda-joins-vs-studio-snk-reuniting-with-tekken-colleagues","model":"deepseek-v4-flash:free","headline":"Kohei Ikeda Joins SNK's VS Studio After Leaving Bandai Namco","summary":"Kohei Ikeda, the game director known for Tekken 7 and Tekken 8, announced on August 18 that he has joined VS Studio SNK. Ikeda, also known by the nickname Nakatsu, left Bandai Namco Studios in June after 20 years at the company. He began his career at Enterbrain before moving to Bandai Namco, where he worked on numerous titles, especially the Tekken series, serving as game director and development producer for Tekken 8. VS Studio SNK is a development studio established in May with support from SNK. Its CEO is Katsuhiro Harada, who worked on the Tekken series with Ikeda and left Bandai Namco Studios in 2025. Yuichi Yonemori, another Tekken series veteran, is also part of the studio as CCO. In an X post, Ikeda said working on game development again with his two former bosses feels nostalgic and full of excitement from creating something new, and that he is very fulfilled. The game currently in development at VS Studio SNK has not been announced yet.","whyItMatters":"The reunion of the core Tekken creative team under SNK's umbrella concentrates fighting game talent at a new studio, and Harada has stated that something where people compete against each other will be essential to the project.","webCardHtml":"\u003cp\u003eIkeda reported his departure from Bandai Namco Studios on June 1, stating his aspiration to continue new challenges as a game developer. His next move was closely watched in the industry. The announcement that he has joined VS Studio SNK reunites him with Harada, who retired from Bandai Namco in 2025 and established the new company, and with Yonemori, who supported the Tekken series as a director.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eVS Studio SNK was established in May with support from SNK. Harada has given interviews about why he decided to restart from zero, noting that he realized through various events that time is finite. He has also stated that there will certainly be expectations from the market and SNK, and that something where people compete against each other will be essential. The specific game in development has not been announced.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIkeda\u0026#39;s comment on the reunion was that it feels somewhat nostalgic, and at the same time full of stimulation to create new games, and that he is very fulfilled. Attention is increasingly focusing on the future of the new studio, where developers who devoted themselves to fighting game development, mainly in the Tekken series, have gathered.\u003c/p\u003e","blueskyPost":"\"Working on game development again with my two former bosses feels nostalgic in many ways, and at the same time, it is full of excitement from creating something new.\" Kohei Ikeda on joining VS Studio SNK.","twitterPost":"Tekken 8 director Kohei Ikeda is back with Katsuhiro Harada and Yuichi Yonemori at SNK-backed VS Studio. The new game is unannounced, but Harada says competition will be essential.","threadsPost":"Kohei Ikeda left Bandai Namco in June after 20 years and now joins VS Studio SNK, where he reunites with Katsuhiro Harada and Yuichi Yonemori. The three worked on Tekken together, and they are now on an unannounced title, which makes this a quiet but significant regrouping of that team.","newsletterBlurb":"Kohei Ikeda, the director behind Tekken 7 and 8, has joined VS Studio SNK, reuniting with former Bandai Namco colleagues Katsuhiro Harada and Yuichi Yonemori. The trio is now developing an unannounced game under SNK's umbrella.","attributionJson":"[{\"source\":\"Automaton\",\"url\":\"https://automaton-media.com/articles/newsjp/20260818-460860/\",\"title\":\"Kohei Ikeda, aka 'Nakatsu', who left Bandai Namco, joins VS Studio SNK. He reunites with Katsuhiro Harada and others who worked on the 'Tekken' series to develop a new game.\"},{\"source\":\"Denfaminicogamer\",\"url\":\"https://news.denfaminicogamer.jp/news/2608182y\",\"title\":\"Kohei Ikeda, Game Director for 'Tekken 7' and '8', Joins 'VS Studio' Led by Katsuhiro Harada; Ikeda Had Reported Leaving Bandai Namco Studio in June\"},{\"source\":\"Game Spark\",\"url\":\"http://www.gamespark.jp/article/2026/08/18/170872.html\",\"title\":\"Former Bandai Namco Tekken 8 Director Kohei Ikeda Reports Joining SNK's 'VS Studio'-Game Development with Former Bosses Is Both Nostalgic and Freshly Stimulating\"}]","lintFlagsJson":null,"lintHits":0,"costUsd":0,"inputTokens":6764,"outputTokens":1148,"status":"published","repairAttempts":0,"nextRepairAt":null,"factsAttemptedAt":1787054751,"createdAt":"2026-08-18T11:59:37.000Z","publishedAt":"2026-08-18T12:01:44.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-08-18T12:58:17.000Z"},"cluster":{"id":"c_e27dfb0d8d32926dc9b110e4","canonicalTitle":"バンダイナムコを退職した“ナカツ”こと池田幸平氏、VS Studio SNKに加入。共に『鉄拳』シリーズを手がけた原田勝弘氏らと合流して新作開発へ","representativeArticleId":"a_b5f2293ccdc0710c3fb96d54","sourceCount":3,"writtenSourceCount":3,"writeAttempts":2,"isSolo":false,"entitiesJson":"{\"anime_titles\":[],\"manga_titles\":[],\"work_titles\":[\"Tekken\"],\"studios\":[\"Bandai Namco\",\"SNK\"],\"people\":[\"Kohei Ikeda\",\"Katsuhiro Harada\"],\"type\":\"news\",\"domain\":\"games\",\"is_roundup\":false}","contentType":"news","status":"written","firstSeenAt":"2026-08-18T10:48:57.000Z","lastSeenAt":"2026-08-18T12:16:07.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-08-18T12:58:17.000Z"},"attribution":[{"source":"Denfaminicogamer","url":"https://news.denfaminicogamer.jp/news/2608182y","title":"『鉄拳7』『8』でゲームディレクターを務めた池田幸平氏、原田勝弘氏が率いる「VS Studio」に加入。池田氏は6月にバンダイナムコスタジオを退職したことを報告していた"},{"source":"Automaton","url":"https://automaton-media.com/articles/newsjp/20260818-460860/","title":"バンダイナムコを退職した“ナカツ”こと池田幸平氏、VS Studio SNKに加入。共に『鉄拳』シリーズを手がけた原田勝弘氏らと合流して新作開発へ"},{"source":"Game Spark","url":"http://www.gamespark.jp/article/2026/08/18/170872.html","title":"『鉄拳8』ディレクターの元バンナム池田幸平氏がSNK傘下の「VS Studio」入社を報告―かつての上司とのゲーム開発はどこか懐かしくも新しい刺激"}],"entities":{"anime_titles":[],"manga_titles":[],"work_titles":["Tekken"],"studios":["Bandai Namco","SNK"],"people":["Kohei Ikeda","Katsuhiro Harada"],"type":"news","domain":"games","is_roundup":false},"keyFacts":["Kohei Ikeda announced on August 18 that he joined VS Studio SNK.","Ikeda left Bandai Namco Studios in June 2026 after working there for 20 years.","Katsuhiro Harada, former Tekken series producer, is CEO of VS Studio SNK.","Yuichi Yonemori, former Tekken series director, is CCO of VS Studio SNK.","The game in development at VS Studio SNK has not been announced."]}