DeNA has announced that it will be shutting down DeNA Global, its Western subsidiary. “In the Game Business, DeNA has focused on three key regions — Japan, China, and the West,” reads a DeNA notice to investors (via VentureBeat ). “During the fiscal year ended March 31, 2016, DeNA optimized the organizational structure and game portfolio in the West and has been developing games for the Western market with a lean structure since; however, since the games did not meet expectations, DeNA has decided to dissolve and liquidate its West subsidiaries, including DeNA Global, Inc.”
The statement went on to say that DeNA will be shifting to focus on collaborations with external partners. It should be plain to see that they mean Nintendo – at least for now. Serkan Toto revealed in a series of tweets that DeNA, not Nintendo, is actually developing Super Mario Run , though Miyamoto is overseeing the game personally.
Players of Final Fantasy Record Keeper and Brave Exvius shouldn’t worry. Those games did fairly well in the West, and will no doubt continue to receive support. Super Mario Run is obviously on the way as well, so we shouldn’t take this to mean that we won’t see DeNA games in the West, it just means that it is no longer willing to hemorrhage money by localizing more obscure games that won’t rake in profits.