poncle to establish Japan studio led by El Shaddai creator Sawaki Takeyasu

Vampire Survivors developer poncle will establish a new studio based in Japan, with El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron creator and crim CEO Sawaki Takeyasu as its head, the latest issue of Weekly Famitsu reveals.

In an interview with the magazine, poncle founder and Vampire Survivors creator Luca Galante said the idea of opening a Japanese studio had been on his mind for years due to his longtime admiration for Japanese games and positive experiences visiting Japan.

That idea eventually took shape when Galante was introduced to Takeyasu through poncle chief strategy officer Matteo Sapio around 2023.

Both Galante and Takeyasu admire each other’s work. The company name “poncle” originates from the Poncles featured in Okami, a title on which Takeyasu served as a character designer, while Galante has long been a fan of his artwork. Takeyasu, who met Galante during the development of his own title Mythical Concept: STARNAUT, was already a fan of Vampire Survivors.

In his new role as head of poncle’s Japan studio, Takeyasu will support the company’s broader goals while establishing a foundation in Japan. A long-term team size has yet to be determined, but poncle intends to continue operating with relatively small development teams.

According to Galante, creating games the team wants to make, respecting players, and prioritizing accessibility form the core principles of poncle’s game development philosophy, and those values will continue to shape future projects.

Going forward, the plan is for regional teams to pursue separate projects. While collaboration between regions remains possible, development will largely be handled independently, and Galante confirmed that a future project could emerge from the Japan studio.

Takeyasu said he hopes to build a studio driven by passion rather than market trends, and create opportunities for aspiring developers regardless of age or experience. He also wants to increase awareness of Vampire Survivors in Japan and foster an environment where creators can experiment with new ideas through smaller-scale productions.

In addition to its plans to open shop in Japan, poncle has established a new studio in Italy. Galante said that while future projects may continue to draw from the Vampire Survivors universe, the company is also interested in creating new intellectual properties.

poncle’s newest title, Vampire Crawlers: The Turbo Wildcard from Vampire Survivors, launched for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, Switch, and PC via Steam and Microsoft Store on April 21.