Visions of Mana Studio to Close Down as NetEase and Tencent Pare Down Their Japanese Investments
NetEase is shutting down Ouka Studios, the developer of Visions of Mana, according to a new Bloomberg report. Nearly all the employees have been fired already, starting as early as this Spring, and the plan is to fully close Ouka soon. The studio had been founded just four years ago by industry veterans who previously worked at Bandai Namco and CAPCOM.
Bloomberg also says that this is just one instance of a wider reduction in investments in Japanese studios by NetEase as well as another major Chinese publisher, Tencent. Both of the Chinese companies have been reportedly frustrated with the progress on their existing Japanese investments and, following the incredible success of Black Myth: Wukong, are wondering if they shouldn't invest more domestically instead. Bernstein analyst Robin Zhu said to Bloomberg:
Related Story Visions of Mana (PS5) Review – An Alm’s Worth of Sacrifice
We may be approaching a point where Tencent and NetEase begin to scrutinize their returns more closely. Globally, the video gaming industry has retrenched post-Covid, and many large publishers have reduced headcount or scaled back investments. Anecdotally, the Japanese developers’ desire to tightly control what can be done with their IP has sometimes been a source of friction.
Visions of Mana was just launched on PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series S|X, and Nintendo Switch. Published by Square Enix, it earned a 7.5 out of 10 score here on Wccftech. Here's an extract from the review penned by Kai Tatsumoto:
Overall, Visions of Mana is a solid entry in the storied tales of the Mana Tree that action RPG fans will appreciate. While there are some pacing issues and overall padding to the game’s length, players will have little complaint about the title’s length for a series that traditionally wraps up by the 15-20 hour mark. It may not be the most memorable tale of the Mana Tree, but it certainly offers the most enjoyable combat to date.
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