Visions of Mana Co-Director Launches New Studio After NetEase Shuts Down Ouka Studios

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Lately, the gaming industry seems to be experiencing a slump, with major studios such as Monolith (creators of Shadow of Mordor) closing down and numerous titles failing financially, resulting in significant losses.

In response to NetEase closing Ouka Studios, Visions of Mana co-director Kenji Ozawa is starting his own studio with a focus on operating differently from the large studios that have been experiencing significant layoffs. The key distinction? Prioritize developers’ wellbeing and avoid making them suffer due to management decisions.

‘Management Needs to Protect Creators’

A notable insight from within the gaming world is that developers often find themselves unemployed following major company decisions that ultimately result in a game’s downfall.

When a significant project collapses, an entire development studio is closed, leaving the team of programmers without work, whereas high-ranking managers appear to hop from one position to another, amassing higher salaries in the process.

Following NetEase’s shutdown of Ouka, Ryosuke Yoshida, one of Ozawa’s co-directors, appears to have moved on to Square Enix. However, Ozawa chose a different path, establishing a new studio with the primary focus on supporting and empowering the developers. In an interview with Automaton, Ozawa expresses concern about the hardships developers have faced due to past missteps leading to mass layoffs, as documented by the site.

Although managers make important decisions like approving game projects and making investments, they are the ones who face consequences when mistakes related to management occur, frequently leading to job losses. Ozawa emphasizes that this excessive responsibility placed on individual creators can be burdensome because they don’t usually have a role in company-wide decision-making processes.

Studio Sasanqua, the latest venture by Ozawa, is stirring things up by merging traditionally distinct aspects like management and development within a company. It’s rumored that this innovative studio is being financially backed by Ozawa himself. In case a project under his watch fails due to ineffective management, he is prepared to take the blame. According to him, it’s essential for management to shield the creators.

The Case of WB Games

Recently, WB Games has been facing numerous setbacks, including job cuts and project cancellations. Specifically, they’ve terminated the development of Wonder Woman, closed Monolith Productions, halted MultiVersus, and ceased operations at Player First Games.

It’s been suggested that David Haddad, the former head of WB Games, might bear significant responsibility for the company’s recent struggles. During his tenure, Hogwarts Legacy was the only project that saw success, while other studios’ projects were hindered by a focus on following trends, particularly in the live-service attempts such as Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League and MultiVersus.

Despite uncertainty about WB’s future, many individuals have found themselves unemployed. Regardless, there seems to be a general search for someone to take responsibility for the situation.

Studio Sasanqua is likely to concentrate on developing smaller games initially, yet their commitment to introducing a unique balance between management and creativity could serve as a benchmark that other studios might strive to emulate in the future.

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2025-03-04 13:19