In a new interview in the latest issue of Weekly Famitsu, Vampire Survivors and Vampire Crawlers developer poncle and studio founder Luca Galante revealed plans to open a new Japan-based studio with El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron creator and crim CEO Sawaki Takeyasu at the helm. This is in addition to plans to create new IPs and open a new studio in Italy.
According to Galante, the idea for opening a Japanese studio has been on his mind for years due to his admiration for Japanese games and positive experiences in Japan. Galante met Takeyasu though poncle chief strategy officer Matteo Sapio around 2023, kicking off their friendship and collaborative efforts later on. It was revealed that the name “poncle” originates from Capcom’s Okami, which Takeyasu served as a character designer on.
Takeyasu will support the company’s goals of establishing a foundation in Japan, and poncle still intends to continue operations with small development teams. Regional teams will pursue separate projects in what will be largely independent development efforts, and Galante confirmed that a future project could emerge from the Japanese studio.
Takeyasu hopes to build a studio of passion instead of following market trends, and he plans to create opportunities for aspiring developers regardless of age or experience. He also wants to increase awareness of Vampire Survivors in Japan and promote an environment where creators can experiment with new ideas through smaller-scale productions.
Vampire Crawlers: The Turbo Wildcard from Vampire Survivors is available now for Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and PC via Windows, Steam, and Epic Games Store for $9.99. Android and iOS versions of Vampire Crawlers: The Turbo Wildcard from Vampire Survivors will launch at a later date.
