SNK Corporation has established a new game development subsidiary, VS Studio, and appointed former Bandai Namco veteran Katsuhiro Harada as Representative Director and CEO. The announcement follows Harada's departure from Bandai Namco in December 2025 after a long tenure overseeing the Tekken franchise.

Harada outlined the studio's guiding principle as "Beyond tradition, crafted to perfection." He described VS Studio as a "free, open, and spacious environment" intended to "generate new ideas and create memorable games," and confirmed the studio is recruiting talent. The studio's website is scheduled to launch in June.

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In promotional material, SNK and Harada explained that the "VS" in VS Studio carries multiple meanings: a nod to "Video game Soft (VS Development Division)," the competitive spirit of "Versus," and conceptual labels such as "Visionary Standard," "Volition Shift," and "Vanguard Spirit."

SNK's portfolio includes franchises such as Fatal Fury, The King of Fighters and Metal Slug. The appointment pairs a high-profile fighting-game director with SNK's established IP catalogue and development capacity, signalling a potential focus on new or revitalised fighting-game projects under the VS Studio banner.

Full coverage and the original announcement are available at Game Informer: gameinformer.com.