Monster news in the world of fighting games: former “Tekken” head Katsuhiro Harada and SNK today announced that the former would establish a new game studio as a subsidiary of SNK.

According to an SNK Corporation press release, SNK will support the launch of Harada’s new game studio, VS Studio SNK, and plans to make it a consolidated subsidiary. The new studio and SNK will, “collaborate on game software development to further strengthen their development capabilities.”

“I am extremely proud to welcome Mr. Katsuhiro Harada, who has been a long-time friend and a worthy rival to us, into our group,” said Yasuyuki Oda, a longtime SNK game developer. “We’ve long discussed the hypothetical scenario of working together, and now that dream has become a reality. To be honest, nothing has been decided yet, but I have no doubt that things will become even more exciting than ever before. We look forward to your continued support for SNK and VS Studio.”

Not unlike Tom Brady joining the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and guiding them to a Super Bowl, Harada joins SNK as the company is on the way up and will hopefully guide them to a theoretical championship. “Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves” is a hit and continues to entice fighting game players (myself included) with its incredible list of DLC fighters and updates.

Like Brady’s Bucs, Harada will have full autonomy of VS Studio as the CEO. We’ve seen what Harada can do at the helm when left to his own devices, so I’m excited to see what he has in store for us with SNK’s backing. Let’s just ignore where the money is coming from, though (not that a US-backed game company would have much cleaner money, anyway.)

Last December, Harada made the shocking decision to leave Bandai/Namco after 30 years. While he noted his decision was made in the wake of many senior Bamco officials retiring or passing away, reading between the lines of his previous statement and his latest statement hint at some frustration with Bandai/Namco.

I’d like to share that I’ll be leaving Bandai Namco at the end of 2025.
With the TEKKEN series reaching its 30th anniversary—an important milestone for a project I’ve devoted much of my life to—I felt this was the most fitting moment to bring one chapter to a close.

My roots lie…

— Katsuhiro Harada (@Harada_TEKKEN) December 8, 2025

“By bringing together technology and knowledge, and working with passionate colleagues, we aim to deliver the best gaming experiences to users worldwide,” Harada said. “VS Studio aspires to be a studio that continues to take on such challenges, and we are looking for new team members who share our vision.”