Katsuhiro Harada teases new untitled VS Studio project
In brief
- Katsuhiro Harada says his next VS Studio game is still unannounced, but it should still meet fans’ expectations.
Harada is best known as the former top executive behind Tekken at Bandai Namco. In the available reporting, VS Studio is linked to SNK, though the exact corporate structure is not explained clearly.
What happened
Harada has spoken publicly for the first time about his new project at VS Studio, the team he joined after his time at Bandai Namco. The game has not been officially revealed yet, and the source says its title has not been announced. The provided reporting also notes that the project is still in development, with no genre, platform, or release date confirmed.
In the quoted comments, Harada says the game is meant to be a surprise, but also that he does not want to disappoint fans’ expectations. That suggests the project may connect to his earlier work, even though no concrete details have been shared about its content. The source explicitly says the title has not been revealed, and that Harada is not presenting the project as a complete break from his past.
The reporting describes VS Studio as a development house linked to SNK. At the same time, it remains unclear what role former Tekken staff members play, since no names or job titles are confirmed in the provided sources. In broader context, the company is described in different ways: as Harada’s own studio, as an SNK-linked studio, and as a consolidated or subsidiary structure. Based on the available information, that relationship is still not fully clear.
Timeline
2026: Harada leaves Bandai Namco after a long career tied to the Tekken franchise.
2026: Harada works at VS Studio on an unannounced game project, whose title has not yet been revealed, according to the source.
2026: Reporting links VS Studio to SNK and former Tekken staff, but without confirmed names or roles.
2026: Harada says the project should be a surprise, but still remain within fans’ expectations.
2026: No genre, platform, or release date has been announced for the game.
Background
Katsuhiro Harada is one of the best-known names in fighting games thanks to his work on Tekken, a franchise that was a long-running staple for Bandai Namco. His move to VS Studio puts him back on a new development team, but the studio has not yet publicly shown a concrete game. The source emphasizes his status as the former Tekken leader and the fact that he is now working on a new project that has not been revealed.
The available sources do show some inconsistency in how VS Studio is described. In some contexts, the company is presented as Harada’s own studio, while other reporting frames it as SNK-linked or as a subsidiary. Based on the information provided, that relationship is still not fully clear. The external context does say SNK would support the launch and that there were plans to make the studio a consolidated subsidiary. At the same time, another summary calls VS Studio an independent development studio, which makes the wording in this article cautious.
There is also very little concrete confirmation about the studio’s personnel. The source cluster refers to former Tekken staff joining VS Studio, but no individual names are included in the provided summary. As a result, the only clear takeaway is that Harada’s new environment is associated with people from his previous workplace, without the full team composition being publicly confirmed.
The core of the report is therefore limited but clear: Harada has a new project in development at VS Studio, the project has no title yet, and the first description he gives is that it will be a surprise that still fits fans’ expectations. That gives an early sense of the project’s tone, but no official reveal of what the game actually is.
Sources
- IGN: Former Tekken Director Katsuhiro Harada Says His Next Game Will Be a Surprise, But Not Outside Fans' Expectations
- Additional context from shared external references and summaries in the source cluster