Author: Daniel Morgan

Bloomberg is reporting that Visions of Mana developer Ouka Studios is about to be shuttered by parent company NetEase.The Japanese studio opened 2020 and hired veteran developers from Capcom and Bandai Namco. It was tapped to handle production on Visions of Mana, a new mainline entry in the popular series published by Square Enix.The action-RPG garnered a positive reception when it launched earlier this week, but NetEase is reportedly looking to shutter the studio responsible for that critical success.It's claimed the Chinese conglomerate is reconsidering and scaling back its investments in Japan after struggling to deliver hit titles. Bloomberg states NetEase has laid off "all but a handful" of Ouka developers ahead of a potential closure.

What are NetEase and Tencent planning for Japan?

NetEase rival Tencent–another sprawling Chinese business with a taste for massive investments–is also reportedly rethinking its approach in Japan. The company has seemingly pulled out of several funding commitments in the regio…

Voice actor Atsuko Tanaka has passed away at the age of 61 years old. Per her son Hikaru, she died of an undisclosed illness she'd been battling for the past year."Including her year-long battle with illness, I think she lived a life that was typical of Tanaka," he wrote in a translated obituary. "Serious, dignified, and a little playful. I am truly happy to have such a proud mother."Born November 14, 1962, Tanaka was best known for voicing Motoko Kusanagi in the Ghost in the Shell franchise. Much of her voicework career was in anime including Jojo's Bizarre Adventure, Lupin III, and Queen's Blade.Game-wise, she did the Japanese voice for Bayonetta in PlatinumGames' titular series. She's also been in franchises like Nier (as Kaine), Yakuza (Reina), and Devil May Cry (Trish), and was Lara Croft's Japanese voice for several Tomb Raider titles.Several franchises Tanaka was attached to wrote eulogies of their own following her passing. Ghost in the Shell's Twitter said she imbued Kusanagi "with a presence that is both quiet and powerful and full of charm.""I had a great time playing the role of Kaine in Nier Replican…

A new studio by the name of Chamo Games has formed over in Sweden. Founded by ex-IO Interactive COO Zoher Toutanji and Plarium creative director Roberto Schiavulli, the team is spread out remotely across Europe, Brazil, Canada, and North and South Korea.Financially, Chamo has backing from major firms such as Griffin Gaming Partners, Sisu Ventures, and Lakestar.In addition to its founders, fellow staff include CTO David Lind, executive producer Stephanie Pecaoco, designer Bastian Wendzinski, and art director Sylvia Dybiec. The former three worked at Massive Entertainment, and Dybiec at Crytek and Square Enix.The studio is already at work on its first project, a "non-lethal" first-person shooter. Its overall mission statement is to make games that focus on fostering a "supportive and positive environment" for developers and players alike.Schiavulli further underlined this in the press release, affirming the team would "make games that prioritize player enjoyment and team well-being."Currently, Chamo Games is not hiring for specific roles, but encouraged interested parties to apply.…

The annual Scottish Games Week will be a no-show for 2024.Per founder and director Brian Baglow, the organizers put it on rest mode due to "disruption across the video game ecosystem and political landscape." With "ongoing" delays in funding and government support, Baglow says he doesn't want 2024 to have a "substandard" showing.Since its start in 2022, SGW has been billed as Scotland's biggest games event. While temporary, its loss creates a further rift between the country's developers and that of other UK regions like London.Baglow assured SGW would return in October 2025 "bigger, better, and more creative than ever." As preparation for that, the event is now looking for partners, sponsors, and advisors.Additionally, organizers are seeking out developers from Scotland to join the SGW Advisory Board and help "build more connected and collaborative events in the future."Interested individuals and partners are encouraged to contact Baglow here. As for sponsors, the SGW has released a simplified sponsorship deck, which can be read here.…

According to Android Central, developer Ready at Dawn is no more.The elimination of the studio was reportedly made to keep the equally struggling Reality Labs within new budget restraints. A Meta representative also told the outlet these cuts were not heralding a larger culling for its first-party studios.Ready at Dawn was founded in 2003 by Naughty Dog and Blizzard Entertainment alums Ru Weerasuriya, Andrea Pessino, and Didier Malenfant. Somewhat fittingly, the studio's debut title was Daxter, a PlayStation Portable spinoff for Naughty Dog's platformer series.In the first half of its lifetime, the studio created PSP spinoffs (and collected bundles) for Sony Santa Monica's God of War franchise, and the Nintendo Wii port for Okami. In 2015, it launched its own original project: PlayStation 4's The Order: 1886.After the console multiplayer brawler Deformers in 2017, Ready at Dawn pivoted to VR. Within that same year, it simultaneously released the adventure games Echo Arena and Lone Echo for the Meta Quest and Oculus Rift.Oculus Studios acquired the studio in 2020, where it made Echo Combat and Lone Echo II. Last year, it and fellow developer Downpour Interactive …