Former Tekken 8 Director Kohei Ikeda Joins VS Studio, Re-Teams With Tekken Veteran Katsuhiro Harada

Former Tekken 8 Director Kohei Ikeda has announced he has joined newly established developer VS Studio, the Tokyo-based, SNK-owned outfit that was founded in May 2026 by former Tekken producer and director Katsuhiro Harada.

“I’ve joined VS Studio as the next step in my journey,” confirmed Ikeda via social media. “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!”

Ikeda left Namco Bandai back in June. His 20-year stint at the storied developer culminated with his duties as game director on both Tekken 7 and 8. At least according to Harada, Ikeda’s final direction on Tekken involved ensuring one of Harada’s own final requests came to fruition, which was his plan to tease the return of Roger Jr. by re-creating a 10-year-old viral clip out of Australia of a man punching a kangaroo to rescue a dog.

Ikeda’s exit came rapidly in the wake of Harada’s own departure following over three decades at Namco Bandai, after which the Tekken legend quickly founded VS Studio.

A glimpse at what VS Studio has in store is likely some way off, but it would appear there is no shortage of fighting game experience assembled at the new developer so far.

Luke is a Senior Editor on the IGN reviews team. You can track him down on Bluesky @mrlukereilly to ask him things about stuff.