Katsuhiro Harada left Bandai Namco and Tekken, stood up VS Studio under SNK, hired old Tekken hands, and now says the unannounced game will be “some kind of surprise” that will not sit outside fan expectations. That is not a tease. That is a leash. He already ruled out a fantasy puzzle game. He said he wants to protect what he is good at. SNK is talking original IP or their catalog. Both still mean fists. The surprise is the logo. The expectation is the genre. He didn’t leave Tekken to become genre-agnostic. He left so the next fighter wouldn’t wear Bandai’s name.

Katsuhiro Harada creator of the Tekken series has now founded VS Studio as a new subsidiary of SNK, the company known for fighting games like The King of Fighters. Harada is the head of the studio, which is based in Tokyo. They want to make great games that players will remember for a long time by using the latest tech, giving the team real creative freedom, and working in a relaxed place where new ideas can grow easily. Their motto is "Beyond tradition, crafted to perfection." Harada is now looking for people who love games to join the team. No first game has been announced yet but the studio will start hiring soon.