Grasshopper Manufacture has separated from NetEase Games and returned to operating as an independent studio, the developer announced in a press release. The Tokyo studio, best known for the No More Heroes series, had been owned by NetEase since 2021.
CEO Goichi Suda, who works under the name Suda51, said the release of Romeo is a Dead Man earlier this year led the studio to consider its future direction.
We found a strong desire to deliver titles in an even wider variety of styles to video game lovers everywhere. As such, Grasshopper Manufacture has chosen to move forward as an independent developer once again.
Suda said the decision was reached after thorough discussions with NetEase Games and with the publisher’s cooperation. He added that the studio continues to value the relationship the two companies have built and expects to collaborate again when the opportunity arises.
On how its games will reach players, Suda pointed to the studio’s self-publishing experience, saying that having improved its own know-how it now has a broad range of options available. Regardless of how its games are published, he said, the studio remains committed to the style of game Grasshopper is known for, with what he called its own signature flavour and further enhanced quality.
Five years under NetEase
NetEase acquired Grasshopper Manufacture from GungHo Online Entertainment in 2021 for an undisclosed sum. The studio had been part of the GungHo group since 2013. Romeo is a Dead Man, which released earlier this year, was developed under NetEase ownership.
Suda founded Grasshopper Manufacture in 1998. Its catalogue includes Killer7, the No More Heroes series and Shadows of the Damned.
