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

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Kenji Ozawa, one of the directors behind Visions of Mana, has recently established a new studio named Studio Sasanqua following the closure of Ouka Studio by NetEase last year. He’s also vocal about how misguided management decisions can result in talented game creators losing their jobs.

As an ardent follower, listening to Ozawa in his Automaton interview, I resonated deeply with his desire to establish his own studio. You see, he felt let down by the lack of accountability at his past workplaces, especially concerning projects that didn’t pan out as planned. While management plays a crucial role in making strategic decisions such as green-lighting game concepts and seeking investment opportunities, Ozawa pointed out that it’s often the developers who bear the brunt of these decisions gone awry.

With Studio Sasanqua, Ozawa aims to bridge the gap between developers and management, as these two departments often work in isolation from each other. He also places a strong emphasis on security for developers, taking full accountability should a game fail due to mismanagement.

Though Studio Sasanqua has yet to debut its initial game, Ozawa clarified their strategy: they will primarily work on compact projects using the Unreal Engine. Over time, their ambition is to expand into creating larger-scale video games for personal computers and gaming consoles.

Ouka Studios, following the launch of its first game in Visions of Mana, became one of the initial casualties of NetEase’s workforce reduction. More recently, NetEase unexpectedly dismissed staff from its Marvel Rivals division based in the US, despite the game’s remarkable success. There are rumors that NetEase is looking to offload its studios outside of China as it seeks to significantly reduce investment within the gaming industry. However, NetEase maintains that it remains dedicated to its international studios.

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2025-03-03 20:39