The development team Poncle (Vampire Survivors) has announced that it is opening a new studio that will be based in Japan. At the helm, as revealed by Famitsu's weekly report, will be the author of the action-adventure game El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron and studio head crim Sawaki Takeyasu.
In an interview with Famitsu, Poncle's founder and author of Vampire Survivors, Luca Galante, stated that he has had the idea of opening a studio in Japan for years, as he has always been a fan of Japanese games and has many positive experiences from previous visits to the country. The idea came to fruition in 2023 when Galante met Takeyasu through Matteo Sapia, who is Poncle's strategy lead.
Galante and Takeyasu are mutual fans. The name Poncle itself comes from the title Okami, on which Takeyasu worked as a character designer, and Galante has been a fan of his artistic works for a long time. Takeyasu met Galante while working on his title Mythical Concept: STARNAUT and was a fan of Vampire Survivors at that time.
In his new role, Takeyasu will support the studio's goals and build the foundations for the Japanese market. The exact number of team members is still unknown, and Poncle plans to operate with a relatively small number of members. According to Galante, creating games that the team wants, respecting players, and focusing on accessibility are the core principles of Poncle's development philosophy, which they want to develop further in the future.
As things develop, the plan is for regional teams to work on separate projects. Although collaborations between regions will be possible, development will be carried out independently, and Galante has announced future projects that will come from the Japanese studio. Takeyasu expressed hope that he will build a studio driven by passion rather than market trends and create opportunities for all developers regardless of age and experience. He also wants to raise awareness of Vampire Survivors in Japan and nurture an environment where creators can experiment with new ideas through smaller productions.
In addition to plans for expansion into Japan, Poncle has also opened a new studio in Italy. Galante stated that while future projects will continue to draw inspiration from the world of Vampire Survivors, there is a possibility of creating new titles.
