NetEase cuts funding for Yakuza creator’s new game as the studio anticipates ‘impending closure’

Yakuza creator Toshihiro Nagoshi has been working on a spiritual successor to that franchise, Gang of Dragon, with Korean actor Don Lee. It was unveiled at the 2025 Game Awards ceremony, and its flashy cinematics and guttural gameplay seemed promising. However, there is a strong chance the game will never come out, as publisher NetEase has officially cut funding for the project.

This comes as Nagoshi Studio reportedly asked for budget expansions and an additional $44.4 million to complete the game, Bloomberg writes. NetEase notified Nagoshi Studio’s staff of the decision yesterday, March 6, and confirmed to Bloomberg that it would indeed cut its support for Gang of Dragon as of May.

Whether or not the game’s development can be completed within the current framework is anyone’s guess, but it has been reported that Nagoshi has been seeking out new sources of funding, but without any success.

Even if he does succeed in securing new backing, NetEase will only allow the studio to continue independently if it can “pay its way out,” i.e., if it can buy the IP and everything that was developed so far. “The studio has been informed by NetEase that while it’s free to continue on its own,” Bloomberg writes.

If the situation continues as it is, odds are that Nagoshi Studio will be shuttered and that Gang of Dragon will not be released. It could be that NetEase will find ways to complete the game and put it out there if secondary deals fall through, but I wouldn’t be betting my money on that.

NetEase has been closing studios and pulling funding from projects recently, and Nagoshi Studio isn’t the only one impacted. Visions of Mana developer Ouka Studio, also based in Japan, much like Nagoshi’s crew, was closed by NetEase in December 2024. Last February, NetEase fired Marvel Rivals game director Thaddeus Sasser alongside the rest of his US-based team.

Layoffs and downsizing happened across the board within studios owned and operated by NetEase itself, as the company pushes for better profit margins under chief executive William Ding. The extra $44.4 million for Gang of Dragon would likely not have looked great on earnings reports, and so we are in this unfortunate situation.

The gaming industry has been suffering from significant financial woes over the past couple of years. Since early 2024, tens of thousands of jobs have been lost in the gaming industry, primarily at large, AAA, big-budget studios that are no strangers to spending literal billions of US dollars on projects.

On the other side, independent studios and developers are making a name for themselves, with the likes of Slay the Spire 2 clocking in over 526,000 concurrent players, despite being made by a handful of people with little more than pure passion in their hearts.

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Ironclad is the first character you’ll play Slay the Spire 2 with, and he is surprisingly good if you know how to use him.

As with any character in the game, you’ll have to build a proper deck to stand a chance. This requires you to understand how Ironclad works and what its pros and cons are. This guide will give you brief explainers on what to expect from Slay the Spire 2‘s knight.

How does Ironclad work in Slay the Spire 2

Ironclad’s greatest strength is his ability to scale his damage with Strength. He is the only character who has a heal mechanism. Since he is the first character, he is also the easiest one to understand for beginners.

With Ironclad, you don’t have to focus on any complicated combos like Regent. He auto-heals at the end of every combat, which leaves you with some room to make an error. However, he really struggles once you’re past Act 2 if you don’t have a great deck to counter his limitations. Additionally, Exhaust isn’t the easiest of mechanics to master.

For Ironclad, you can take different approaches. Exhaust is one great choice for a deck archetype, but it’s hard for beginners. I always prefer going with a deck that ramps up his Strength since that’s going to be the easy to master (don’t mistake the ease for weakness).

Best cards for Ironclad in Slay the Spire 2

Going for the best cards for Ironclad can be slightly confusing. The tables below include cards that work well with Strength decks. If you opt for other archetypes, the cards mentioned below won’t be effective.

Early commons and uncommons

To clear Act 1, you’ll be mostly using these cards (based on whether you manage to draft these options).

Card	Reason
Twin Strike	A simple attack card that costs 1 Energy and does 5 damage twice. Scales up once you increase your Strength.
Inflame	A staple of the Strength deck. For 1 Energy, you gain 2 Strength.
Fight Me	A slightly tricky card that gives 1 Strength to enemies. However, you get to 5 damage twice while gaining 2 Strength for 2 Energy.
Rupture	For the cost of 1 Energy, you’ll gain 1 Strength whenever you lose health.
Whirlwind	A blockbuster option that doesn’t have a definite Energy cost. It does 5 damage to all enemies times the amount of energy you have.

Best cards

If you get the chance to draft any of the following cards, you should add them to your deck as a priority.

Card	Reason
Demon Form	While this card is pretty expensive to set up, it generates 2 Strength every turn.
Brand	For no Energy, you get to exhaust cards that you don’t want, while losing just 1 HP and gaining 1 Strength.
Hellraiser	At 2 cost, you set up an auto-firing system. Every Strike card you draw will automatically target a random enemy without the requirement of any Energy.
Thrash	The card, by default, does 4 damage twice for 1 Energy. However, you can exhaust another Attack card in your hand and add its damage.

Best relics for Ironclad in Slay the Spire 2

Here’s a list of relics you’ll want to prioritize on if you’re going for a Strength-focused deck.

• Ruined Strength: Allows you to get double Strength when you get it for the first time during combat.
• Sword of Jade: Grants three Strength for free.
• Relics like Anchor and Horn Cleat are also necessary if you want to set up cards like Hellraiser and Demon Form.

Best Block build for Ironclad in Slay the Spire 2

If you want to play something with more synergy than Strength, you can try out the following Block build. First, here’s a list of cards you will want to add to your deck.

Card	Reason
Body Slam	Shore up your Block and do equal damage to an enemy.
Shrug It Off	For 1 Energy, you get to draw a card and gain 8 Block.
True Grit	You get to thin your deck by exhausting a card (preferably Strike) and gain 7 Block.
Taunt	For 1 Energy, you get 7 Block and apply Vulnerable for 1 turn. It forms perfect synergy with Body Slam.
Store Armor	It helps you gain 4 Block passively every turn.
Juggernaut	Allows you to deal 5 damage whenever you gain Block.
Barricade	Allows you to retain the Block across turns.
Crimson Mantle	For 1 Energy, you get to add 8 Block. Losing the HP isn’t a problem with Ironclad thanks to his relic.

For Relics, you can opt for anything that helps you to gain Block. You can also get Parrying Shield that does 6 damage for every 10 Block that you gain.

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