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Visions of Mana director joins Square Enix following layoffs at Ouka Studios

Visions of Mana's director, Ryosuke Yoshida, departs Ouka Studios after the game's release, joining Square Enix. Despite positive fan reception, Ouka Studios faced significant downsizing. Yoshida's past includes work at Capcom on franchises like Monster Hunter.

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Visions of Mana is the latest game in the cult-favorite Mana series, and just one of the many JRPGs from Square Enix released in 2024. It earned mostly positive praise from longtime fans, but now the game director behind the title has announced that he's transitioning to a new role at Square Enix after leaving developer Ouka Studios behind.

Game director Ryosuke Yoshida posted on the social media site formerly known as Twitter that he's moving on from Ouka Studios and its owner, NetEase Games, to Square Enix, stating that he intends 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…December 2, 2024

Starting as an action-oriented spin-off of Final Fantasy, the Mana series quickly established its own identity and gameplay structure to set it apart, earning praise from fans for its Zelda-style approach to combat and exploration. While it's still one of Square Enix's enduring franchises, it feels like it's never reached the popularity levels of other noteworthy JRPGs. Still, it has quite a following with dedicated fans of the genre – particularly with the fan-favorite Secret of Mana on the SNES.

Despite the mostly favorable reception that Visions of Mana received from fans, developer Ouka Studios – owned by NetEase Games – unfortunately went through severe downsizing shortly after launch. This is just one of the many cases of layoffs to happen within the industry this year.

Ryosuke Yoshida is a noteworthy game developer and director beyond just his latest game, however. Before working on Visions of Mana, he was a combat designer at Capcom, working on the Lost Planet, Monster Hunter, and Devil May Cry franchises. Visions of Mana was his first role as game director, and now at Square Enix, he'll likely be involved in other noteworthy projects with the studio's pedigree.

In our own Visions of Mana review, contributor Autumn Wright stated, "Visions of Mana would be forgettable if it weren't janky in ways few modern AAA games are, making for an action RPG with little desire to be unique. But its series of bewildering design choices and faulty execution does technically make it stand out."

If you're itching for more JPRGs to play, check out our round up of the best JRPGs you can play right now.