NetEase Games has cut nearly all jobs at Tokyo-based studio Ouka Studios, the developers of Visions of Mana, and Bloomberg reports that there are plans to close the studio.
According to the Bloomberg report, both NetEase Games and Tencent are reconsidering and/or scaling back their investments in Japanese studios. Ouka Studios is one of the studios greatly affected, with layoffs being made known on the same day that Visions of Mana released. The few remaining staff will oversee the release of its final games before the closure.
An email sent by NetEase Games to Bloomberg said it has “nothing to announce” regarding the closure of Ouka Studios. However, the company representative said that NetEase Games is seeing progress in the many Japanese studios it has invested in.
“In supporting studios outside China, we craft our strategy based on our goal of providing better gaming experiences to local and global players,” a NetEase spokesperson said to Bloomberg. The company is “thus always making necessary adjustments to reflect market conditions.”
Visions of Mana released on August 29 for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC via Steam. A Collector’s Edition is available to purchase exclusively in the Square Enix Store. This edition includes the game, an exclusive Ramcoh plush, an 80-page ART of MANA SPECIAL ISSUE art book, and the Original Soundtrack Collector’s Edition Special Box 6-CD set. Lastly, the Visions of Mana original soundtrack will be sold separately on September 11.
