Kohei Ikeda has joined VS Studio, the Tokyo development team operating under SNK, after two decades at Bandai Namco. The move reunites him with former Tekken colleagues, including Katsuhiro Harada, at a time when SNK is undergoing significant corporate and financial change.
Ikeda’s departure from Bandai Namco earlier this summer led to speculation that he would work with Harada. That possibility was confirmed a reunion this week. VS Studio has not yet announced a game.
The appointment comes as SNK reports rising revenue alongside much larger losses. According to Automaton Media, revenue grew by 10 per cent over the past year, while the company recorded a net loss of almost $140 million. That loss was close to double the previous year’s deficit.
SNK has continued to operate with substantial loans from its Saudi parent company, Electronic Gaming Development Company. The parent company has also been moving investment into other prominent gaming businesses, including a five per cent stake in Capcom.
For readers tracking arcade and fighting-game news, the developments suggest that SNK is reshaping both its business structure and its development teams.
SNK Entertainment is dissolved
The restructuring has already produced a formal corporate change. This week, SNK dissolved SNK Entertainment, the subsidiary created in 2016 to manage licensing arrangements and help contracted developers work with SNK characters and series.
SNK Entertainment played an important role in the increase in SNK-related projects during recent years. Its operations had reportedly been transferred to other SNK departments from 2022 onwards, so the dissolution formalises a process that was already under way.
What could VS Studio be making?
Harada announced VS Studio in May. The new Tokyo outfit operates under SNK, but no title has been revealed. Ikeda’s arrival, together with other senior Tekken figures, provides a clearer indication that the team may be building a new fighting game, although SNK has not confirmed that direction.
In a post dated August 18, 2026, Ikeda described joining VS Studio as the next step in his career. He wrote that working on games again with two former bosses felt nostalgic, while the chance to create something new made the work especially fulfilling.
“Working on games again with two of my former bosses feels nostalgic,” Ikeda wrote, adding that he was excited to see what they could create together.
The studio will attract attention from fans of arcade machines and competitive fighting games. SNK’s history is closely tied to the arcade, making its future projects relevant to anyone considering how to choose an arcade machine for classic fighting-game play.
Saudi investment and fighting games
Questions surrounding SNK’s parent company extend beyond the reported losses. Disruptions in the oil market and the continuing stand-off in the Strait of Hormuz have reportedly affected some of Electronic Gaming Development Company’s wider gaming activity.
Saudi-backed investment has also expanded across the fighting-game sector. Alongside the Capcom stake, the Mohammed bin Salman Foundation took control of Evo, the major fighting-game tournament brand. That ownership has divided players over whether participation contributes to the continued ‘sportswashing’ of Saudi Arabia’s image.
VS Studio therefore begins with strong creative interest but also considerable corporate uncertainty. Until SNK reveals a project, Ikeda’s appointment and Harada’s involvement remain the clearest signs of what the new studio could be preparing.
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