Visions of Mana director leaves NetEase for Square Enix

Visions of Mana director Ryosuke Yoshida has left developer Ouka Studios and parent company NetEase.

In a post on X, Yoshida explained he’s joined Final Fantasy maker Square Enix.

The news comes with the future of Ouka Studios in the balance. Earlier this year, Bloomberg reported that NetEase was cutting jobs at the studio ahead of a potential closure.

Ouka opened its doors in 2020 and hired veterans from Capcom and Bandai Namco. It released Visions of Mana on August 29, 2024, but NetEase is reportedly looking to scale down its Japanese investments after struggling to deliver what it considers hit titles.

In August, Bloomberg claimed NetEase had laid off “all but a handful” of Ouka employees.

Discussing his departure, Yoshida expressed gratitude towards his colleagues and NetEase for enabling Ouka to bring Visions of Mana to market.

“I quit NetEase Ouka Studios on October 31. 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,” he wrote.

“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.”

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