While Grasshopper Manufacture has happily split from NetEase Games and become independent once more, it seems Gang of Dragon developer Nagoshi Studio hasn’t been so lucky. According to VGC’s Andy Robinson on the site’s latest podcast episode, the studio is essentially “gone.”
“Nagoshi Studio…it’s not been announced, but that’s gone. I heard stories of him [founder Toshihiro Nagoshi] even applying at other studios recently, so I think it’s fair to say that that’s gone.”
We’ve seen evidence supporting this with the developer’s YouTube channel being removed and its official website going offline. Neither NetEase Games nor Nagoshi has confirmed its closure, and there’s no word on what will happen with Gang of Dragon.
Announced at The Game Awards in December 2025, the title starred Train to Busan actor Ma Dong-seok as Shin Ji-seong, a member of a Korean crime syndicate. While very little was revealed about the story, he would end up embroiled in the underworld. Unlike the Yakuza series’ protagonists, Ji-Seong has little issue with killing those who threaten him.
Following reports of NetEase cutting spending on its gaming division, trouble befell the project and Nagoshi Studio earlier this year. Sources claimed that it needed an additional ¥7 billion ($44.4 million) and the publisher seemingly wasn’t willing to foot the bill. Though the studio attempted to find new sponsors, funding reportedly dried up last May, and here we are.
Whether NetEase Games will do anything with the property or let it languish, incomplete, remains to be seen, so stay tuned for updates.
