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Katsuhiro Harada says he left Bandai Namco after more than 30 years because longer development cycles led him to think he might have time to make only one more game before the typical retirement age in Japan. He has since launched VS Studio with financial backing from SNK, but has not disclosed what the studio is making or when it will be released.
Katsuhiro Harada says he left Bandai Namco after more than three decades because he wanted to try something new with the limited time he felt remained in his game-development career. In an interview with GamesIndustry.biz, the longtime Tekken figure said longer production cycles made him think he might have time to make only one more game before reaching Japan’s standard retirement age of around 60. Harada has since established VS Studio, backed by SNK, though the source report does not identify its first project.
Harada said his departure was not prompted by a single event. As he approached 50, he began considering how he wanted to spend what he described as the remaining decade of his career as a developer. He recalled expecting that Tekken might have reached roughly its 15th entry by the time he reached the typical retirement age, but said the pace of development had changed.
“We used to release one game a year, but now it can take five years to make a single game,” Harada told GamesIndustry.biz. He said that, by age 50, he realised he might only have time to make one more game and wanted to pursue a different path. That is his explanation of his decision, not a confirmation that he will retire after a particular project.
After announcing his departure, Harada said he received several offers, with SNK’s approach standing out. He described conversations with the company’s Saudi Arabian owner, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, as focused on games rather than money or business matters. Harada also said he had been assured that VS Studio would have autonomy and decision-making authority. The source material does not provide details of the studio’s funding terms or governance arrangements.
Why Katsuhiro Harada left to start VS Studio
After more than 30 years at Bandai Namco, Harada says longer game development cycles made him want to try a new path. VS Studio has SNK backing, but its first game has not been announced.
A career rethink
Harada said approaching 50 and longer production cycles shaped his decision.
- Games could be released once a year.
- Harada expected Tekken might reach roughly its 15th entry by typical retirement age.
- A single game can take five years.
- He thought he might have time for one more game and wanted to try something new.
A new team with backing
Harada established VS Studio with financial backing from SNK.
Experienced recruits
Harada said many recruits were over 45 and that experience matters in game development.
Ideas across roles
Artists, engineers, directors and designers discuss ideas together, regardless of role.
Freedom comes with a challenge
Harada said VS Studio would have autonomy and decision-making authority.
The first game remains a question
The available report leaves the project details open.
Harada launched VS Studio with SNK backing.
The initial core group had 10 people; Tekken 8 director Kohei Ikeda joined as a game designer.
No first-game title, genre, platform or release date has been disclosed.
A Veteran Starts a New Studio
The move gives Harada an opportunity to shape a new development team after decades at a major publisher, while also giving SNK a prominent industry figure with deep experience in fighting games. For fans, the key development is not a new Tekken announcement but the creation of VS Studio and Harada’s stated intention to try something different.
Harada described a smaller, more collaborative working environment. He said artists, engineers, directors and designers discuss ideas together regardless of their roles, and that staff have been proactively proposing meetings and work. The change may allow the team to make decisions more directly, although the report offers no project schedule or evidence yet of how that approach will affect a finished game.
He also acknowledged the practical disadvantage: a new studio lacks the marketing and sales capacity of a large publisher. Harada said VS Studio has a “significant gap” to close in resources and capabilities compared with major companies. The studio’s independence may offer creative freedom, but its ability to finance, market and distribute a game at scale remains untested in the information provided.
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From Bandai Namco to VS Studio
Harada announced his departure from Bandai Namco in December, after more than 30 years with the company. The announcement unsettled some fighting-game fans, who associated him closely with Tekken. The source report notes that his departure followed the death of Dead or Alive creator Tomonobu Itagaki two months earlier, but does not suggest the events were connected.
SNK, the company backing VS Studio, is known for franchises including Fatal Fury and The King of Fighters, as well as its Neo Geo hardware. Harada said he has long been a fan of Neo Geo and saw the company’s history in fighting games as part of the appeal. He also cited the Crown Prince’s interest in games and Saudi Arabia’s hosting of the Esports World Cup. SNK’s Saudi ownership is described in the source as controversial; Harada’s comments explain his personal rationale for accepting the offer, not wider assessments of that ownership.
The report also says Tekken 8 director Kohei Ikeda joined VS Studio as a game designer in an announcement made in August. Harada said the initial core group consisted of 10 people and that team members helped bring in other experienced developers. He said he was pleased that many recruits were over 45, framing experience as an advantage in game development.
“We used to release one game a year, but now it can take five years to make a single game.”
— Katsuhiro Harada, speaking to GamesIndustry.biz
VS Studio’s First Game Is Unknown
The source material does not reveal what VS Studio is developing, whether the project will be a fighting game, or which platforms it might target. No release window, publisher or distribution plan is given. Harada’s comment that he might have time for one more game is a reflection on his career timeline, not a formal statement that he will make exactly one more game.
The report says Harada was assured the studio would have autonomy, but does not spell out how that arrangement works in practice or what limits may apply. It also provides no budget, headcount beyond the original 10-person core group, or details of SNK’s financial commitment. The studio’s capacity to build and market a full release therefore cannot be judged from the available information.
Awaiting a Project Announcement
The next significant update would be a formal announcement of VS Studio’s game, including its genre, development status and release plans. None of those details is present in the source material, and no date for a reveal is provided.
Until the studio shares more, Harada’s interview sets out the reasons for the move and the team’s early working approach, while leaving the central question for players unanswered: what game will this new studio make?
Key Questions
Why did Katsuhiro Harada leave Bandai Namco?
Harada said his decision was not caused by one specific issue. He told GamesIndustry.biz that approaching 50 and seeing development cycles stretch to about five years led him to think he might have time to make only one more game before the typical retirement age in Japan.
What is VS Studio?
VS Studio is a new game studio established by Harada with financial backing from SNK. The source material describes its early team and working style but does not name its first game.
Is Harada retiring after his next game?
That has not been confirmed. Harada said he realised he might have time to make one more game, but the remark describes his thinking about his career and is not a formal retirement announcement.
What will VS Studio’s first game be?
The source material does not say. It gives no confirmed genre, title, platform or release date for the studio’s first project.
Who has joined VS Studio?
The report identifies Kohei Ikeda, the director of Tekken 8, as a game designer at VS Studio. Harada also said the studio began with a core group of 10 and that other experienced developers joined through the team’s contacts.
Source: GamesIndustry.biz
