What Does Visions of Mana Developer Studio Closure Mean for Players

The day a game finally hits shelves is typically a day of celebration for a development team. However, the day Visions of Mana released, developer Ouka Studios instead faced the closure of their whole operation.

Who is Ouka Studios?

Ouka Studios is a subsidiary of NetEase that developed Visions of Mana for Square Enix. It opened in January 2020. It only has one title to its name. That is the new Mana title, which released at the end of August 2024. Its official website is still open, but only is available in Japanese.

What happened to the Visions of Mana developer?

The closure of Ouka Studios marks a significant blow to Vision of Mana’s future. The studio is reportedly shutting down, according to Bloomberg, due to Chinese parent company NetEase reevaluating its Japanese interests. This has also been seen from other parent companies such as Tencent Holdings. This leaves players with a polished but largely unsupported title. This means that despite the game’s smooth launch, there will be little to no post-launch updates, patches, or additional content.

Potential bugs or issues might go unaddressed with the studio shutting its doors, which Vision of Mana players must be mindful of. The lack of ongoing support could impact the game’s longevity. Players often rely on developers to tweak gameplay, fix unforeseen issues, and even introduce new features or content over time. Although, luckily the game shipped in stable shape with no major issues.

However, there is a slight silver lining. Many developers often have plans to transition to new projects after a game’s completion. So some of the talented team members behind Visions of Mana may have already secured future roles elsewhere. This could mean that the skills and creative energy that went into Visions of Mana might still influence future games.

Ultimately, while the game is a strong final offering from Ouka Studios, its players will have to manage their expectations, knowing that what they see now is likely all they’ll ever get. This situation underscores the uncertainty that can come with smaller studios. Even a successful project isn’t always enough to keep the doors open.

Visions of Mana is currently available on the PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X, and PC.