There has been nothing but uncertainty regarding the status of Toshihiro Nagoshi’s Nagoshi Studio during the past year, and most recently, it’s been confirmed that several development members, including employees occupying lead roles, have left the company. This comes after reports about NetEase Games pulling the studio’s funding, followed by the company’s official website going offline, and its offices being listed as “permanently closed” on Google.
Not long ago, the studio’s co-founder and game director Daisuke Sato updated his biography on X to “ex-Nagoshi Studio,” indirectly confirming his departure. Additionally, Nagoshi himself appeared in a Famitsu feature as an unaffiliated game creator, raising concern. Not only that, but according to Game*Spark, which investigated the LinkedIn profiles of known Nagoshi Studio staff members, there are at least seven other people who are confirmed to have left the company as of May 31, 2026.
Kazuki Hosokawa, who headed the studio’s design department, explicitly announced that he had resigned from Nagoshi Studio, commenting that he had spent the past four and a half years “surrounded by talent” and had a fullfilling time at the studio.
On the other hand, others simply changed their affiliations or employment statuses. This includes lead environment designer and design department deputy head Naoki Someya, who is now affiliated with Lightspeed Japan instead, as well as technical artist Tomoharu Hosaka, who has moved to Capcom.
Two other ex-Nagoshi Studio developers joined Monster Strike developer MIXI as of June, including 3D cinematic artist Hiroya Wakui and lead character artist Saizo Nagai. Additionally, VFX artist Shuichi Takahashi and character artist Toshihiro Ando have not named new affiliations, but refer to Nagoshi Studio as their former employer.
Despite these big changes, there has yet to be any official statement regarding the status of Gang of Dragon – the studio’s ambitious adult drama starring Ma Dong-Seok – nor the company’s future. Still, it’s encouraging to see that some staff members have successfully moved on and found work at other companies.
