Visions of Mana Director, Ryosuke Yoshida, Makes the Switch from NetEase to Square Enix

Ryosuke Yoshida, the director behind the popular mobile title Visions of Mana and a former Capcom game designer, has announced his departure from NetEase and his subsequent move to Square Enix. This news, shared via his Twitter (X) account on December 2nd, has sent ripples through the gaming industry. While Yoshida's specific role at Square Enix remains undisclosed, his move signifies a significant shift in the landscape of Japanese game development.

Yoshida's departure from Ouka Studios, a NetEase subsidiary, follows the release of Visions of Mana on August 30, 2024. The game, a collaborative effort involving talent from Capcom and Bandai Namco, enjoyed considerable success. However, the details surrounding his exit from Ouka Studios remain limited.

This move coincides with reports of NetEase scaling back its investments in Japanese game studios. A Bloomberg article from August 30th highlighted NetEase and Tencent's decision to curtail losses following several successful releases through Japanese partnerships. This strategic retreat has impacted Ouka Studios, with NetEase reportedly downsizing its Tokyo workforce.

Both NetEase and Tencent are refocusing resources on the revitalizing Chinese gaming market, evidenced by the success of titles like Black Myth: Wukong, a recent award winner at the 2024 Golden Joystick Awards. Their initial foray into the Japanese market in 2020, driven by a period of stagnation in China, appears to be undergoing a significant recalibration. While not abandoning their Japanese presence entirely, their collaborations with established Japanese companies like Capcom and Bandai Namco are now being approached with a more cautious strategy, aimed at minimizing risk and maximizing returns in the burgeoning Chinese market. This strategic shift highlights the evolving dynamics between major Chinese gaming companies and smaller Japanese developers, emphasizing contrasting approaches to global market expansion versus the control of intellectual property.

[Image: Visions of Mana Director Leaves NetEase for Square Enix (Replaces all three images with a single placeholder)]