Visions of Mana was the latest entry in Square Enix’s long-running Mana seriesand was applauded for living up to the series' aesthetics and its light, adventurous tone.Which is why the closure of its development team (Ouka Studios) the day after the game’s release came as a shock and soured some on supporting the title. Almost a full year later, one of the directors behind Visions has decided to open up his own studio.
Kenji Ozawa aims to protect game creators and to not push managerial burdens on to them.
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Ozawa makes this mission statement known through the reveal of his studio’s new YouTube Channel.
Visions Of A New Start
Studio Sasanqua takes its name from the Sasansqua Camellia breed of flower, which is known to bloom in the depths of winter. Ozawa feels it’s the studio’s responsibility to care for its developers even through the rough patches so that they can create something special to the best of their abilities. It’s easy to imagine that his experiences as a director at Ouka Studios drove Ozawa down this road.Fellow director of Visions of Mana, Ryosuke Yoshida, recently joined Square Enix in an official capacity just a few months ago.
It’s worth mentioning that Ouka Studios, while based in Shibuya, was owned by NetEase. NetEase, of course, is a well-known giant in the modern gaming scene.It’s also no stranger to being in the news due to enforcing mass layoffs, having just shut down the Seattle support team for Marvel Rivals not too long ago.The gaming industry as a whole seems to be on an unforgiving streak when it comes to studio closures and public firings. With that in mind, Sasanqua’s goals will probably resonate with many.
Growth Takes Time and Care
Ozawa is understanding of the creator’s perspective, but is also realistic. For the time being, Studio Sasanqua will focus on smaller projects before creating full-fledged games. The plan is to eventually develop games for both PC and Console platforms and to collaborate with other companies. If Visions of Mana is any indicator, that sets a good bar for quality. While it obviously had internal issues that stemmed from management, the game has a sincere approach to creating a traditional RPG that wears its heart on its sleeve. Ozawa understands where those problems stem from and will look to avoid those same mistakes.
The studio has just planted its first seed, but it will be interesting to see where it grows from here.
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Visions of Mana
