NetEase Reportedly Cutting Funding for Gang of Dragon

Last December at the 2025 Game Awards, Toshihiro Nagoshi unveiled Gang of Dragon, his first game since leaving Sega for NetEase. The open-world crime epic bears clear resemblance to Yakuza but leans into a more brutal, violent tone and casts Korean superstar Ma Dong-seok as the lead.

Only months later, the project and Nagoshi’s studio face immediate danger as NetEase plans to stop funding them starting in May. Gang of Dragon is reportedly seeking an additional $44.4 million to reach the finish line and ship. NetEase has been rapidly retreating from gaming investments after a recent shopping spree that consolidated industry veterans into new startups.

The company, once boosted by co-publishing deals with Blizzard, backed figures such as Casey Hudson, Ryosuke Yoshida and Jack Emmert—each of whom left after funding cuts—and purchased stakes in Devolver Digital and Grasshopper Manufacture, which released Romeo is a Dead Man last month.

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