Visions of Mana director leaves NetEase to join Square Enix

The director of Visions of Mana has joined Square Enix, following the reported closure of the NetEase-owned studio that developed the game.

As spotted by Knoebel, Ryosuke Yoshida posted a message on X announcing the news.

Although the Mana series is owned by Square Enix and it published Visions of Mana, it was developed by the NetEase-owned Ouka Studios.

However, following the game’s release on August 29, it was reported that NetEase had “cut all but a handful of jobs” at Ouka and planned to close the studio.

Visions of Mana director Yoshida has now revealed that he left Ouka two months after the game’s release, and has now joined Square Enix itself.

“On a personal note, I quit NetEase Ouka Studios on October 31,” Yoshida wrote. “We were a new studio, but we were able to release Visions of Mana.

“I am grateful to the development team and NetEase for their support. It was a very good experience. Thank you all.

“I am happy to announce that I joined Square Enix in December. I will do my best to make a game that many people can enjoy!”

On a personal note, I quit NetEase Ouka Studios on October 31st. We were a new studio, but we were able to release Visions of Mana. I am grateful to the development team and NetEase for their support.
It was a very good experience.

Thank you all.
I am happy to announce that I…

— Ryosuke Yoshida (@YoshidaBeer) December 2, 2024

Visions of Mana is the fifth main entry in the Mana series, and the first (not counting spin-offs) since Dawn of Mana, which was released on PS2 in 2006.

The game, which was released on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PS4 and PC, was generally well-received, and currently has a Metacritic score of 75.