We Are The Game Creators
Back in September 2022, we reported that long-time BlazBlue producer Toshimici Mori was stepping away from Arc System Works, a company that he had served for just shy of two decades — And it seems that Mori is now ready to get back into the thick of the action, with the establishment of a brand new developer, Studio Flare.
Based in Gotanda, Tokyo, Studio Flare has been co-founded by Mori and the former executive vice-president of Marvelous, Toshinori Aoki, with a healthy dose of financial funding from Chinese commerce conglomerate Netease. Aoki will serve as president and CEO of Studio Flare, with Mori serving as vice president and head producer. The studio has a long list of openings, with roles for artists, engineers, coders, and server maintenance managers.
“With knowledge and expertise from their past projects, Studio Flare will deliver new game experiences to global audiences. The company also has received support from NetEase Games, the gaming division of NetEase, Inc.,” reads a press release. “Studio Flare has [[the intent] to create games with an edgy feel that bring excitement to hardcore gamers. We will start developing original games for console platforms, with a small but highly talented team based in our studio in Gotanda, Tokyo.”
For those familiar with Mori’s work, the specific use of “edgy” in the press release is quite amusing, as Mori’s oeuvre has frequently featured dark, cringe-cool, super-sexualized characters. While it is fantastic to see Mori back in the game and in the driving seat, one can’t help but wonder what fate this leaves for his trademark series, BlazBlue, which stays with Arc System Works, and will hopefully not get lost among that studio’s catalog of releases.
You can check out Studio Flare’s brand-new website — complete with obligatory shades and leather jacket shot — right here.
