Visions of Mana Dev Reportedly Shut Down Same Week of Game’s Release

Key Takeaways

• NetEase and Tencent reportedly shut down Visions of Mana’s developer, Ouka Studios, after the game’s release.
• The closure may be part of the companies’ reconsideration of investments in the Japanese gaming market.
• The quality or financial success of Visions of Mana doesn’t seem to be a factor in NetEase and Tencent’s decision.

NetEase and Tencent reportedly shut down Visions of Mana’s developer, Ouka Studios, soon after the game was released. Reports indicate that the two Chinese companies may be reconsidering their investments in the Japanese gaming market recently, and the developer of Visions of Mana may be one of the victims of this decision.

Originally announced last year, Visions of Mana was released on August 29. The RPG was eagerly awaited by fans due to being the first mainline entry in the Mana franchise since Dawn of Mana in 2006. However, it seems that some disappointing news has been unveiled almost simultaneously with the game’s release.

Now, new reports from Bloomberg indicate that NetEase and Tencent have decided to “cut all but a handful of jobs” at Visions of Mana developer Ouka Studios, essentially shutting down the studio. While the Mana franchise belongs to Square Enix, Visions of Mana’s development was outsourced to this studio, which is owned by the two Chinese companies. Visions of Mana received mixed reviews from critics, achieving an overall score of 77 on OpenCritic, but the quality or the financial success of the game does not seem to be involved in NetEase and Tencent’s decision. According to Bloomberg’s report, NetEase and Tencent are “reconsidering” their investments in the Japanese market, as this decision has not yet been considered to be entirely successful, and these companies invested heavily in the market recently.

Tencent and NetEase Reportedly Shut Down Visions of Mana Developer Ouka Studios

In its report, Bloomberg talked to Bernstein analyst Robin Zhu, who indicated that Tencent and NetEase may be starting to scrutinize their investments more carefully. The video game industry grew considerably during the COVID-19 pandemic, but the growth has diminished recently, and these companies may be refocusing on more profitable endeavors. A few months ago, for instance, Pocket Pair CEO Takuro Mizobe shared an image of a Palworld clone developed by Tencent, a game seemingly developed to cash in on the Pokemon-inspired game’s success.

Unfortunately, if the studio’s closure is confirmed, Ouka Studios will be the latest victim in the wave of layoffs that started in the gaming industry last year. Over 11,500 jobs have been lost in the industry globally this year, and while most of these events happened in the first quarter of 2024, it does not seem that the trend is about to stop. Major gaming companies that laid off employees include Microsoft, Embracer Group, Unity, EA, Sony, Epic Games, Take-Two Interactive, Riot Games, Twitch, Sega, Ubisoft, and Amazon Games, among others.