Talk about a crappy stunt to pull off.

Days after Square Enix-led action RPG Visions of Mana rolls out for PC and consoles, this bombshell dropped: publisher NetEase Games has been cutting staff from Visions of Mana developer Ouka Studios since Spring 2024. NetEase plans to close the studio as soon as the game has shipped and a handful of remaining Ouka Studios staff has sorted out the remaining tasks for the game (via Bloomberg report), as well as the studio’s rollout of its other titles.

The other titles made by Ouka Studios? Teased back in 2020, they are:

• An action RPG featuring an adventure with unique allies.
• A new-style battle game based on a popular series.
• An original cooperative action game featuring gigantic enemies.

These titles have yet to be announced though. NetEase Games stated the following regarding its progress in investing in Japanese studios.

“In supporting studios outside China, we craft our strategy based on our goal of providing better gaming experiences to local and global players. [The company is] thus always making necessary adjustments to reflect market conditions.”

In related news, NetEase Games also owns Nagoshi Studio (led by ex-Ryu Ga Gotoku/Like A Dragon/Yakuza creator Toshihiro Nagoshi), Grasshopper Manufacture (Suda51 studio), and GPTRACK50 (led by Hiroyuki Kobayashi).

For more on Visions of Mana, check out our review of the title and our guide.