Following reports of the imminent closure of Ouka Studios, Visions of Mana director Ryosuke Yoshida confirmed that he left the studio and has joined Square Enix at the beginning of December 2024. The Visions of Mana director will likely contribute to a new entry in the series or an entirely new game at Square Enix, and he hopes to make a game many people can enjoy.
“On a personal note, I quit NetEase Ouka Studios on October 31st,” Yoshida said on Twitter/X. “We were a new studio, but we were able to release Visions of Mana. I am grateful to the development team and NetEase for their support. It was a very good experience. Thank you all. I am happy to announce that I joined Square Enix in December. I will do my best to make a game that many people can enjoy!”
Shortly after the game’s launch, reports suggested that NetEase Games has cut nearly all jobs at Tokyo-based studio Ouka Studios, the developers of Visions of Mana. There are also plans to shut down the studio entirely as NetEase Games and Tencent reevaluate investments in Japanese game studios.
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 was released on September 11.
