SNK Corporation Invests in VS Studio Tokyo Subsidiary with Katsuhiro Harada Appointed as CEO to Drive Innovation and High End Game Development Capabilities
SNK Corporation has confirmed that it is making a large strategic investment into creating VS Studio, a new game development house based in Tokyo. The new studio will be incorporated as a wholly owned subsidiary within the SNK group as per an official corporate notice from Osaka. Katsuhiro Harada is the Representative Director and CEO of the studio which became operational at the Shin Meguro Tokyu Building in Tokyo at the beginning of May.
The studio was founded to integrate a specific creative philosophy with high end technology. Harada indicated that the philosophy of VS Studio is outside of convention and refined to perfection. Harada elaborated that the VS in VS Studio contains multiple meanings including Video game Soft, and Vanguard Spirit as well as representing challenging the convention through innovation. Harada enters the role having spent 31 years at Namco where he played a major role in fighting game development and was the architect of today’s modern global esports ecosystem.
The company wishes to become a studio that can continue to accept these kinds of challenges, and are seeking to bring on new team members who believe in their vision. Representing SNK, Yasuyuki Oda said:
VS Studio aspires to be a studio that continues to take on such challenges and we are looking for new team members who share our vision.
The company has not revealed details of specific game titles currently in development but expects the studio to bolster its in house development capabilities by utilizing this Tokyo based team. The company is currently seeking passionate individuals that will bring a new era of gaming experiences to the global market from an open and innovative studio space located on the 4th floor of the Shin Meguro facility in Kamiosaki.
The establishment of VS Studio marks a significant shift in the development structure of SNK as it integrates world class expertise into its subsidiary group. Harada mentioned that he designed the studio to provide an environment where developers can perform at their peak. By combining sensitive creative vision with established technical knowledge the group plans to generate memorable intellectual properties that exceed the expectations of the current gaming market.
