The majority of the employees at Ouka Studios, the maker of Visions of Mana, have been let go by the Chinese video game corporation NetEase, which intends to close it down completely.
Bloomberg was informed by anonymous individuals with knowledge of the situation that the studio, which opened its doors in 2020, will be sustained by the few members who remain until its last games are released. Launched just yesterday, August 29, 2024, Visions of Mana received positive reviews from critics. (Gamexta gave their assessment of Visions of Mana an 8 out of 10.)
Major Chinese corporations such as NetEase and its rival Tencent are said to have moved away from a Japan-centric approach, which is the reason behind Ouka Studios’ demise.
Tencent has reportedly backed out of many financial promises and is reevaluating how much it invests in Japanese video game companies, according to Bloomberg. For instance, it obtained the rights to create and market the mobile version of the anime-inspired game Blue Protocol. However, on August 28, Bandai Namco declared that Blue Protocol would be shut down completely and that Amazon Games would manage its worldwide release.
According to one source, NetEase and Tencent have been encouraged to explore local investments by the success of Black Myth Wukong, which sold an astounding 10 million copies in just three days and was developed by a very tiny Chinese developer. The report claims that these Chinese businesses have otherwise discovered that the Japanese developers they sought to invest in did not share their ambitions.
According to Bloomberg, NetEase had “nothing to announce” about Ouka Studios’ closing. According to Tencent, it is “always making necessary adjustments to reflect market conditions.”
Numerous layoffs have occurred in the video game business over the last two years as major corporations like Microsoft, Sony, and the struggling Embracer Group have closed down entire studios in addition to reducing employment.
In May 2024, Microsoft closed down Ghostwire Tokyo creator Tango Gameworks and Redfall developer Arkane Austin. Fans and industry colleagues were shocked by this decision.
In 2023, the Saints Row developer Volition was shut down by Embracer Group, while in March 2024, Sony closed its London Studio due to layoffs that affected 900 employees throughout the PlayStation division.
