Former Bandai Namco Executive Katsuhiro Harada and Others Establish New Studio "VS Studio SNK" with SNK! Passion and Ambition Glimpsed in Interview

Harada: The official name is VS Studio SNK.
The VS has various meanings, and while I think everyone imagines versus, which is of course fine, for example, the roots for me and Yonemori lie in a department called the VS Development Department back in the old Namco days.
The VS Development Department in the 90s was actually an abbreviation for the Video Game Software Development Department.
Titles where you punch, slash, or beat drums were born there, and if you trace it back even further, it is also part of the lineage of the department that made the good old shooting games.
There is an aspect where we took VS from such a traditional department, and from a developer's perspective, it could also stand for Vanguard Spirits or Visual Studio.
The name VS Studio was chosen with many good meanings packed into it.

Harada: If you ask whether it is a department inside SNK, it is not.
Although I cannot disclose the investment ratios, it is a subsidiary of SNK with its independence maintained, or rather a member of the foundation's group that stands behind it.
It is something like that.

Harada: Right when I left my previous job and was thinking "now what should I do," gratefully, I received inquiries from various companies and individuals.
Since we are of the same generation, I originally had a friendship with Oda, and we had vague conversations like "it would be interesting if we could do something together in the future."
Amid receiving various offers, I also spoke with SNK's investors regarding their vision, and since there were many parts that aligned with my thoughts, it led to this realization as seen now.

Harada: Before entering the game industry, around the time I was a university student, the NEOGEO was expanding with a boom!
Personally, I was a fan of various IPs and titles, and even after entering the industry, the impression of NEOGEO was still strong.
I also collaborated with them at my previous job, and as a single fan, I shared the exact same feeling as everyone who likes SNK (laughs).

Harada: Thanks to SNK's long history, I think how they look changes entirely depending on which era you cut out.
Right now, due to various reasons, despite being a long-established game manufacturer, they have an atmosphere like a second founding.
That is also one of the reasons why I thought I wanted to join them.
As a company, I was able to confirm that they are looking incredibly far ahead with the game business completely as their core, not just for right now or 4 to 5 years down the line, so I feel their determination to create video games with that philosophy!

Harada: I believe the compatibility between myself and SNK is good.
I was also talking with Oda, and it has become clear that while we appear to have made similar genres, our knowledge is different.
I believe synergy will be born by exchanging the knowledge and experience I have cultivated with SNK, and I think Oda is expecting that as well, just as I am.

Harada: It is a fact that there are many IPs of SNK that I personally like, but we are not at a stage where I can speak about concrete details regarding making something with them or how we will intertwine.
I believe a day will come when we can talk about it at some timing again, but I personally think we will be able to do something interesting.

Harada: I wonder how it will be?

Oda: Will you do it? (laughs)

Harada: While I personally have thoughts that I want to do this or that, since they belong to SNK, I cannot really say anything reckless...
Right now, there is truly nothing where I am involved in a specific project, though we have been getting excited on a casual chat level since a long time ago (laughs).

Oda: Harada has a truly wonderful career, so the expectations are huge, and I think many requests are coming from various places.
Since we cannot listen to all of them, I hope SNK can support him well in that regard.

Oda: If this were the 1990s, we probably could have dabbled in various things easily, but since it is an era where taking 4 to 5 years for the development of a single title is common, it cannot be said so easily.

Harada: Actually, the very first fighting game to welcome an IP that was not from its own company or group, and moreover not from a fighting game, as a guest was a certain title I worked on in the 90s.
While it is becoming a matter of course now, since I am on the side that has done the integration of completely unrelated other companies' characters, I feel a sense of relief that other fighting game titles and the guests in SNK's Fatal Fury: CotW have finally started doing this kind of thing.
Among the users, there may be some people who have psychological resistance, but I have a feeling that as they gradually get used to it, it will turn into an excitement of "what will come out next."

Harada: Because I carried a great variety of things at my previous job, I put out a feeling that I was the one leading the team! But in reality, I was truly supported by many people.
Now that I am on my own, I can think so objectively once again, and I do not think it is about what I can do by myself.
Even regarding past successful experiences, I cannot see the theories or laws clearly, but since I believe something like an intuition that "this part should probably be this way" exists as a treasure inside my heart, I want to share that.
Conversely, I want to hear much more various stories from Oda as well, and rather than know-how or knowledge, curiosity and excitement are stronger.
I think this feeling I am experiencing at this age is incredibly important, and its significance is also major.

Oda: Saying investment sounds grandiose, so it depends on the scale and the case.
I think SNK cooperating for the establishment of VS Studio this time is an exception.
However, extremely many projects are moving forward right now even within just SNK, and we are cooperating with many studios in each case.
In that form, we hope to continue progressing projects in the future as well.

Harada: I think you can understand if you look at my Wikipedia page, but I have been involved in various genres of games like VR up until now.
However, there are naturally strengths and weaknesses, and I believe there are definitely things expected by the market and SNK.
In that sense, while thinking that elements like things where people compete against each other and action cannot be left out after all, because I myself have a strong desire to pursue them even further.
Although we will not narrow down the genre to a single one, I do think I want to make a competitive game.

Harada: Of course, I have a strong desire to have young creators participate and create together.
But on the other hand, I believe developers of the generation called seniors aged 45 and over are treasures.
Including people who might face retirement this year or next year if they stay where they are, my concept is to gather them under me once more and create something good with a combination of great veteran power and young people.

Harada: We plan to set up the location on a different floor of the same building as SNK.
It feels like it is still freshly made or rather actively in progress, but it is of a scale where I can do the things I want to realize.
In terms of position, I will become the Representative Director and CEO, but I am thinking of stepping into the creative side as much as possible.
Compared to the way I was over the past 10 years or so, I think I will return to roots like creative work and development, and be involved in game development.

Harada: Yonemori entered my department as a junior in 1998.
Despite the fact that I forcibly pulled him into the team because the game he was making during rookie training was good and thought "I must absolutely put that guy in the team!", I taught him nothing (laughs).
He learned the work while stealing skills under me, and after working for about 20 years, he belonged to another company for a time, but he resigned due to this matter and we are working together now.
It is a setup where I am the president of the studio and he is the CCO (Chief Creative Officer).

Yonemori: It is exactly as just explained (laughs).
In terms of Tekken, I was at the top of the development side until the arcade version of Tekken 7, and Harada was doing the overall supervision.

Harada: His name is listed second, right next to mine, in the staff credits of Tekken 7.

Harada: That is exactly right. Because I used to say so often.

Harada: Yes, they are.
Since I gratefully received words from everyone regardless of being seniors or juniors after announcing that I would leave my previous job, I hope to gather passionate comrades.

Harada: When it was announced, I was prepared to take a lot of baiting and criticism, but gratitude was conveyed from the fans to the extent that I thought finishing my life just like this would be beautiful.
To be honest, I was surprised that such things would be said to me.
I have actually spent a peaceful time in my heart, making time for my family and so on.

However, gratefully, while receiving many offers from companies and individuals, and as VS Studio takes shape, I also have a realization that passion and curiosity are bubbling up.
Because various things are moving forward a little bit every day right now, it is incredibly fun.
To be honest, I was extremely conscious of the remaining time in my life, but now I just want to live a long life with everyone (laughs).
I want to do various things quickly.

Harada: Yes! (laughs)
In particular, there are many people overseas who speak bluntly, and while it was not exactly a countermeasure against online backlash, we actually formed a team of about 6 people and did something like 24-hour monitoring when my resignation was announced.
We had AI pick up all comments including SNS and article reactions, and were taking complete statistics, but thanks to everyone sending gratitude comments all at once, the flow was like "lifting the alert early!"
It made me think whether it is okay to retire from what I have done for 31 years with such grateful comments, but it was very encouraging, and I felt I want to give back to everyone.

Harada: It is not at all that I wanted to reset.
However, as you accumulate work, your position, sense of responsibility, and what is expected of you as a professional take on a certain shape.
Then, even if you think you want to start over at an age past 50, that normally does not happen, right?
Instead of sitting back in that position, I decided to set aside my achievements for once and do what I can while I am still physically and mentally capable.
The average life expectancy of Japanese men is about 81 years, and if you think about it carefully, you cannot live double your current age.
Moreover, it is much shorter in terms of healthy life expectancy, and when calculating backward, there is not much time left.
In order to realize the thought of 'I definitely want to do at least this at the end,' it has resulted in what you see right now.
There is also a desire to create an environment where the people who follow after me can work for a long time.

Harada: Actually, if you look at my X account, you can see that there is not that much spontaneous one-way communication from me; most of it is posted in the form of answering questions from users.
I think it is wrong to just look at reports and data to feel the temperature of the general public in the community and market.
Judging things only by looking at response numbers and how things go viral does not suit me.
The majority opinion is of course important, but occasionally a minority opinion sticks in my heart.
Since that can also become a hint for game creation, receiving stimulation—including harsh words—can make me feel like, "Then I will do a little bit more."
Although I do not know if it will be with the same frequency as before, I do think I want to keep in contact with the community in some form.

Harada: I can only predict the reaction of the general public, and I think there will be things like "You again!" (laughs).
Actually, there is also an underlying theme where I want to call out to industry veterans who have not lost their passion yet, or people who want to try serious matchmaking once more.
I hope it reaches such people and there is a reaction, and I think I would be happy if the number of people we can work with increases through that.

Harada: My feelings about wanting to make games and wanting to be involved in games have not wavered at all.
However, as a general rule, when you build up a career and take root in the same organization, the requirements increase regardless of your own will.
When looking at it in balance with the remaining time in my life, I wanted to challenge myself to see how far I can go by setting down my current luggage for once and choosing new luggage by myself.

Harada: My thinking on that point might be a little different from others.
I had been having development team collaboration talks with Oda in casual chats completely unrelated to this matter for a while, like, "If I joined Oda's team, we might be able to do this kind of thing."
Therefore, unlike the independence of other people, this exists in a state where we can also obtain cooperation from SNK and the people behind them.
Since I do not want to run a studio just for the sake of being a president, it settled into the current form as an environment where I can concentrate on development while also borrowing their strength as much as possible.

Harada: I like statistics and such quite a bit, but when I think about how the average life expectancy of Japanese men is 80 and a bit, around the time I passed 40, I got spooked thinking, "No way, I won't necessarily be able to live even half of this" (laughs).
Moreover, when thinking that being healthy only lasts for another 20 years...? It is a silly story, but I thought about it seriously.

Harada: Yes, I do.
If asked whether right now is where I thought I would be 10 years ago, everyone deviates from the plan, right?
The game industry is truly like that, and since it started taking 4 to 5 years for a single title, I began to think, "Oh? Is this...?"
Rather than panicking because of that, it is more like thinking that waiting until mandatory retirement to do what I want to do is wrong.
Thinking that way was a major factor for me.

Harada: This is a bit interesting, and I used to think so before as well.
However, due to age or rather what I think is the value of experience, it is not that it is fine as long as you can make only what you want to make.
Extremely many people are involved in game development, right?
I want the people who create together to be happy, I want the people who play to be happy, and the people who profit from it and stakeholders like shareholders might as well be happy too.
Including how to balance this, I consider it one part of the fun of making.
I surely could not have done it in my 20s, but there is also a part where we are running based on the fact that we can look at that properly now.

Harada: If I say too much, the monetary amount will be exposed, so I cannot say...

Oda: Wouldn't about 10 movies be fine? (laughs)

Harada: Oh, that's a fresh take (laughs).
Our company philosophy is "Beyond tradition, crafted to perfection."
In short, it feels like let's make the best possible thing.
Right now, even in indies, titles that receive great support and win big awards are coming out, right?
When looking at that, I feel the classification of AAA or indies no longer exists.
Because I believe it is an era where how much the creators truly like what they do and make it seriously is transmitted to players, I want to compete there.

Harada: That is difficult...
The time when the three of us here started game development in earnest was the 1990s.
The 1990s was a very interesting period, and I think it was also a pure era where if you made a good game, it would sell.
The way games sell worldwide now is not just by being a good game; gaps are also created by delivery skills such as marketing and promotion, and it has become a complex and difficult era to the extent that it cannot be said unconditionally that doing this will definitely result in sales.
However, it is also unmistakable that if a project does not have a core that carries through, it will not sell, right?
If we are to start creating from scratch in this networked era, what should we do? We are rebuilding while drawing wisdom from everyone.
Since I have not created things by my own power alone up until now, I hope to search for the answer together with SNK as well.

Harada: It was the same for me and my comrades, but it stands as a premise that past knowledge and experience are important.
On the other hand, because the flow is fast in this industry, if you are trapped by past successful experiences, you cannot adapt to new technology and you cannot learn either.
Since development is fundamentally technology, while having past experience as a foundation, I want to also update my values and conduct new studies.
I want to remake while reviewing once more what is being required by users.
Because it is a new environment for that purpose, right?

Harada: Esports is not something that the game industry generated systematically.
Fans attached themselves to the titles that we game developers have made, those fans spontaneously livened up the community, small tournaments became larger and larger in various countries, and I believe there is a background where that flow became major and turned into esports.
It has reached a scale unthinkable 20 years ago, and precisely because of that, there are plenty of chances; I myself am looking at current esports with a feeling of "wow, it has come this far."
On the other hand, interestingly, there are also many challenges, and those become the responsibility of the manufacturers rather than the community.
For example, when it comes to how to support the community, it is not simply just on the financial side.
What kind of approach can be made to the community side is what I consider a challenge for the future, and no matter what kind of game we make, I hope to build cooperative relationships with everyone.
From my view, esports looks like the result of the community becoming larger rather than an industry.

Oda: While expectations for the concrete titles to be made are of course there, the relationship with SNK in the process of making looks like it will become very interesting, right?
Personally, that is the most enjoyable part.
While being fundamentally different companies, I think the interaction will become quite close.

Harada: We are talking about making it close.
To be honest, it is not like Oda is coming to our company as an executive officer either, but even setting such things aside, we are talking about staying in a relationship where we provide good stimulation to each other.

Oda: There are also people who changed jobs from Bandai Namco to our company.
I am thinking of having him go and squeeze those people a little bit (laughs).

Harada: They would hate that! Like, "Why is this guy coming when I took the trouble to come to a new place!" (laughs).
Though there are people who would be glad too (laughs).

Yonemori: Since an opportunity where one can challenge themselves freely in this completely blank new studio is not something that happens easily, I hope to enjoy this situation and develop games.
Please look forward to it!

Harada: Although I am likely to be scolded, "don't make this kind of announcement when you can't say the concrete titles!", I just wanted to send the message that "I am thinking of doing interesting things."
For VS Studio, gratefully, while having SNK and others absorb risks and anxieties as much as possible, they left us with the discretion to do what we want to do.
I know that truly convenient things are convenient, but since we received a good environment, I want to clearly show that we can contribute to the users, SNK fans, and employees, and ultimately give back firmly.
I think we will not be able to do it for a while again, but I hope we can make an announcement around the time when everyone forgets again.