Tekken Director Announces New Studio Under SNK

Again in December, Tekken director Katsuhiro Harada announced he was leaving Bandai Namco after a long time of main the writer’s marquee preventing recreation sequence. His announcement was reflective and heartfelt, and followers wished him nicely wherever he was going subsequent. Now, we all know the place he’s going, and oh, no…not like this, Harada.

Harada is now the CEO and director at VS Studio, a brand new workforce beneath the SNK umbrella. At a look, that sounds just like the stuff of fanfiction, with one veteran preventing recreation legend heading over to a different firm recognized for classics like King of Fighters and Deadly Fury, and in idea, this may very well be a very impactful studio for shifting the style ahead. Nevertheless, look a bit nearer on the state of SNK, and the cynical cracks begin to set in. 

Digital Gaming Growth Firm, an organization owned by the Saudi Arabian prime minister, Mohammed bin Salman, acquired SNK back in 2022 as a part of what seems to be a concentrated effort on the a part of the Saudi Arabian authorities to deliver its “sportswashing” marketing campaign to gaming. The nation with tons of cash however a really checkered document on human rights has set about acquiring stakes in builders and publishers like EA and Capcom, in addition to taking over long-standing cultural events like the EVO fighting game tournament.

Harada opening a brand new studio must be thrilling, however now it’s obtained an enormous asterisk subsequent to it. It stays to be seen whether or not or not VS Studio SNK suffers beneath its dad or mum firm, although Deadly Fury has made bizarre selections because the acquisition, from using AI slop to together with soccer player Cristiano Ronaldo as a playable character for no discernible cause.