Visions of Mana co-director Kenji Ozawa is recruiting for an "unannounced console game" by his new independent studio

Summary

Kenji Ozawa, the co-director of Visions of Mana, the latest entry in the beloved Mana series of Japanese role-playing games, has announced that he is hiring for an unannounced console title at his new independent studio, Studio Sasanqua. Founded last year, the studio comes on the heels of the closure of Ouka Studios, a NetEase-backed Tokyo developer where Ozawa served as a key figure. With a career spanning multiple Mana games, Ozawa is widely respected for his work on Visions of Mana, which stood out for its emotional storytelling and polished combat. His move to create an independent studio signals a desire for more artistic freedom and direct control over development. For fans, this is an intriguing prospect, as seasoned Japanese developers often produce some of their most inventive work when freed from traditional publisher constraints. For the broader industry, it reinforces an ongoing wave of high-profile talent leaving established studios to pursue independent endeavors, permanently altering the console development landscape. The new game's genre, platforms, and release timeline are still under wraps, but the recruitment push hints that the project is already in early production. As both a new chapter for Ozawa and a fresh voice in the RPG space, this is a development worth watching closely for console players and JRPG enthusiasts alike.