Kohei Ikeda, the game director of Tekken 8, has joined Katsuhiro Harada at recently formed and rival SNK developer Vs Studio.
Ikeda announced the move on Twitter, where he revealed he had also left Bandai Namco’s Tekken 8 team to join his former boss at the new studio. While the first game developed by Vs Studio is still a mystery, the pair will presumably work on it together.
They’ll be joined by Yuichi Yonemori, another Tekken veteran, who also left Bandai Namco earlier this year. These three super-senior Tekken developers – Ikeda, Harada, and Yonemori – have reunited under a new roof.
“I’ve joined Vs Studio as the next step in my journey,” wrote Ikeda on X. “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!”
It’s the latest in a string of high profile departures from the Tekken 8 team. As mentioned, Yuichi Yonemori left Bandai Namco in May, while Tekken director Katsuhiro Harada left in December. He had been hinting at a departure for many months, saying he wouldn’t be worried about the series in his absence.
Vs Studios, announced in May, is a new studio financially supported by SNK,known for the King of Fighters and Metal Slug series, with a goal to “combine technology, sensibility, and world-class expertise” according to Harada.
What these three Tekken developers will lead development of is anyone’s guess. Many naturally assume it’ll be some sort of one-on-one fighting game, but that’s not been confirmed as of yet. Maybe we’ll find out soon?
