According to a report by BloombergNetEase Games has reportedly cut all but a handful of jobs at subsidiary Ouka Studios. The Tokyo-based developer has just launched Visions of Mana under contract with Square Enix. The few remaining staff at Ouka Studios will reportedly oversee the release of its latest games aside from Visions of Mana.
“By supporting studios outside of China, we build our strategy around our goal of providing better gaming experiences to local and global players.”a NetEase Games representative told Bloomberg. The company “always making necessary adjustments to reflect market conditions.”
Ouka Studios described in 2022 three projects that were in development: an action RPG that featured an adventure with unique allies (possibly Visions of Mana), a new-style battle game based on a popular series and an original co-op action game with gigantic enemies.
NetEase Games also owns Nagoshi Studio, led by Toshihiro Nagoshi; Grasshopper Manufacture, led by Goichi “Suda51” Suda; and GPTRACK50, led by Hiroyuki Kobayashi. According to Bloomberg, NetEase Games rival Tencent is also reconsidering the pace and scale of its investment in Japan, having backed off at least several funding commitments for new titles.
Via: Gematsu
