Visions Of Mana Co-Director Opens Studio, Bemoans Management Shirking Responsibility

Kenji Ozawa, the co-director on Visions of Mana, has started a new studio called Studio Sasanqua after Ouka Studio was shut down by NetEase last year. He's also calling out how management's poor decisions lead to game creators being let go.

In an interview with Automaton, Ozawa said he wanted to start his own studio because he saw management at his previous companies not taking responsibilities for failed projects. While management makes the majority of high-level decisions like approving game pitches and finding investment opportunities, Ozawa noted that it's the developers themselves that get cut when management makes a mistake.

With Studio Sasanqua, Ozawa wanted to make sure that both developers and management are on the same page, as both departments are usually siloed from each other. He's also prioritizing a sense of security for developers and confirms that he's ready to accept full responsibility if a game fails due to management mistakes.

While Studio Sasanqua hasn't revealed its first game, Ozawa explained that the studio will focus on smaller projects in Unreal Engine, with the longer-term goal of creating larger-scale games for PC and consoles.

Ouka Studios was one of the early victims of NetEase's downsizing, as it was shut down not long after the release of its debut game in Visions of Mana. Last month, NetEase suddenly laid off its US-based Marvel Rivals staff despite the game's massive success. NetEase is also reportedly trying to sell off its non-Chinese studios as it attempts to drastically pull investment from the gaming space. However, NetEase claims that it's still committed to its overseas studios.