Former Tekken 8 Director Kohei Ikeda Joins VS Studio, Re-Teams With Tekken Veteran Katsuhiro Harada
The news likely won’t come as a surprise to hardcore fighting game fans.
Kohei Ikeda, the former director of Tekken 8, has joined VS Studio, a new developer co-founded by Tekken veteran Katsuhiro Harada in May 2026. Ikeda shared via social media that he joined the Tokyo-based company as the next step in his career. He expressed excitement about working with two of his former bosses, stating that it feels nostalgic while also being incredibly fulfilling to create something new.
Ikeda left Namco Bandai in June after a 20-year career at the developer, during which he served as game director on both Tekken 7 and 8. According to Harada, the final direction Ikeda gave on Tekken involved re-creating a viral clip from 2016, featuring a man punching a kangaroo to save a dog, as part of Harada's own final request.
The rapid departure of Ikeda follows Harada's own exit from Namco Bandai after three decades, leading him to establish VS Studio. While the specifics of VS Studio's upcoming projects remain undisclosed, the developer now boasts an impressive array of fighting game experience.
Written by urgent.news from IGN's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
