Visions of Mana studio will reportedly close as companies reconsider Japan investments

Visions of Mana, the latest JRPG in the classic series, officially launched this week but the studio behind it is now swiftly facing closure, as major Chinese gaming companies, NetEase and Tencent, look to reduce their investments in Japan.

Ouka Studios, the studio behind Visions of Mana, is reportedly closing down as NetEase and Tencent reduce their investments in Japanese studios. Bloomberg reports that NetEase cut a number of job roles at the studio immediately after Visions of Mana released, and it is also claimed that Ouka Studios will be shut down entirely after the final members of staff finish up remaining projects.

Speaking with Bloomberg, a Bernstein analyst, Robin Zhu, suggested that Tencent and NetEase may start to scrutinize their returns more closely as the global video gaming industry scales back post-COVID, with many publishers cutting jobs or reducing investments.

Another thing to consider is that the Japanese economy has taken a hit this year, causing the Japanese Yen to lose substantial value compared to other currencies. This will no doubt play a role in the decision making of investors and may be a key reason that Microsoft opted to pull the plug on its only Japanese studio, Tango Gameworks, earlier in the year.

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KitGuru Says: As a huge fan of many Japanese games, it is sad to see situations like this, especially following a major release.

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