Kohei Ikeda is a game director at VS Studio SNK, the SNK-backed studio led by former Tekken producer Katsuhiro Harada. He is working on an unannounced game alongside former Tekken colleagues.
Kohei Ikeda left Bandai Namco Entertainment in June after 20 years at the company, a departure that followed former Tekken project producer Katsuhiro Harada's exit at the end of 2025. Ikeda was the game director for Tekken 7 and Tekken 8, and served as game director and development producer for Tekken 8. His career began at Enterbrain before he moved to Bandai Namco, where he worked on numerous titles, especially the Tekken series.
On August 18, Ikeda announced he had joined VS Studio SNK, a development studio established in May with support from SNK. The studio is led by Harada as CEO, and Yuichi Yonemori, another Tekken series veteran, is part of the studio as CCO. In an X post, Ikeda said working on game development again with his two former bosses feels nostalgic and full of excitement from creating something new, and that he is very fulfilled.
The game currently in development at VS Studio SNK has not been announced yet. Ikeda is also known by the nickname Nakatsu.
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Aug 18
Kohei Ikeda, the game director known for Tekken 7 and Tekken 8, announced on August 18 that he has joined VS Studio SNK. Ikeda, also known by the nickname Nakatsu, left Bandai Namco Studios in June after 20 years at the company. He began his career at Enterbrain before moving to Bandai Namco, where he worked on numerous titles, especially the Tekken series, serving as game director and development producer for Tekken 8. VS Studio SNK is a development studio established in May with support from SNK. Its CEO is Katsuhiro Harada, who worked on the Tekken series with Ikeda and left Bandai Namco Studios in 2025. Yuichi Yonemori, another Tekken series veteran, is also part of the studio as CCO. In an X post, Ikeda said working on game development again with his two former bosses feels nostalgic and full of excitement from creating something new, and that he is very fulfilled. The game currently in development at VS Studio SNK has not been announced yet.
Jun 2
Kohei Ikeda, game director for Tekken 7 and Tekken 8, announced on Monday that he has left Bandai Namco Entertainment after 20 years at the company. His departure follows that of former Tekken project producer Katsuhiro Harada, who left at the end of 2025 and now leads SNK's new studio.