Grasshopper Manufacture, the studio behind the likes of Romero Is A Dead Man and No More Heroes, has announced that it has split from NetEase Games and is therefore now an independent company. The studio was acquired by NetEase Games in 2021, and was previously snapped up by GungHo Online Entertainment in 2013.
Speaking on the news, Goichi Suda, CEO and Representative Director of Grasshopper Manufacture, commented:
This past February, Grasshopper Manufacture released its latest title, ROMEO IS A DEAD MAN, and celebrated its 28th anniversary in March. Thanks to the support of players worldwide, ROMEO IS A DEAD MAN received high acclaim and great reviews. Our whole studio would like to extend our sincerest thanks to everyone who enjoyed the game, and to everyone who worked tirelessly toward making its release possible.
Having finally completed this all-hands project, as we reflected on the next stage of Grasshopper Manufacture’s future, 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 with as an independent developer once again.
Grasshopper Manufacture was founded in March 1998 by Suda in Suginami, Japan, and worked on The Silver Case and Flower, Sun, and Rain for PlayStation and PlayStation 2, respectively. In 2005, the developer collaborated with Capcom Production Studio 4 on the GameCube and PS2 title Killer7, which gained a cult following, and kicked off the No More Heroes series for the Wii in 2007, which spawned multiple sequels. The studio also teamed with Shinji Mikami for Shadows of the Damned, which was recently remastered for modern platforms.
[Source – Gematsu]