Visions of Mana co-director Kenji Ozawa opens new studio, Studio Sasanqua, following NetEase closure
Following the closure of Ouka Studios under NetEase, Visions of Mana co-director Kenji Ozawa has founded Studio Sasanqua, which will focus on protecting its employees from being held responsible for poor management decisions.
The details:
Last August, it was reported that just days after the release of Visions of Mana, Chinese gaming giant NetEase laid off "all but a handful" of employees at developer Ouka Studios. The decision, which is part of NetEase's ongoing plans to reduce its overseas investments, resulted in the studio's closure, with co-director Ryosuke Yoshida moving on to Square Enix.
However, Ozawa, the game's other co-director, has announced the formation of a new studio, Sasanqua. Speaking with Automaton, the director stated that one of the reasons for the studio's inception was to better protect developers from being held accountable for decisions made by higher-ups. "Management needs to protect creators," Ozawa explained, adding that the new studio will bring together management and development.
It appears that Sasanqua will be led and financed directly by Ozawa, who has stated that while he will be involved in the development of its first title, he is also willing to accept responsibility for any errors made along the way. To get started, the developer will focus on smaller projects built in Unreal Engine, but has the long-term goal of creating larger titles for PC and console.
The gaming industry has seen tens of thousands of layoffs in the past few years, with many being attributed to management decisions that have resulted in underwhelming releases and wasted potential. It was recently reported that dozens of NetEase studios are at risk of shutting down as the company continues to pull funding, which followed Marvel Rivals’ Seattle-based design team being laid off despite the game’s massive success.
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