When Kohei Ikeda revealed that he was also leaving Bandai Namco, following the departure of Katsuhiro Harada, I joked that the two would eventually end up at the same place. Little did I know that’s exactly what would happen.
Today, Ikeda announced that he has joined the new game development studio headed up by SNK, VS Studio, reuniting with his former boss and longtime friend, Harada. Ikeda announced the move on his Twitter account, stating:
I’ve joined VS STUDIO as the next step in my journey.
Working on games again with two of my former bosses feels nostalgic in many ways, while at the same time, the excitement of creating something completely new makes every day incredibly fulfilling.
I’m really looking forward to seeing what we can create together!
That’s now two former Tekken team leaders at VS Studio, though so far, no projects have been revealed. Regardless, both Harada and Ikeda have made it clear that they’re looking forward to creating something new, and given that Tekken is already on its eighth numbered entry, I imagine they’re both excited about getting the chance to stretch their legs creatively.
Now I really want to know what VS Studio has cooking. Will it be another fighting game, something completely different, or are Harada and Ikeda still looking to bring even more industry veterans into the fold before showing us what they’re working on?
