REPORT: Grasshopper Manufacture Breaks From NetEase, Returning To Independent Publishing
The split comes after five years
"ColonelFancy" Mike Lind
10/3/20262 min read
On September 30th, game director/designer Goichi Suda (who goes by Suda51) announced that his studio Grasshopper Manufacture and Chinese tech company NetEase has parted ways. This move will return the No More Heroes development team (and the original Lollipop Chainsaw) to an independent studio. According to a press release from Suda, the split came after "thorough discussions with NetEase and their generous cooperation".
We continue to cherish the amazing relationship our companies have built, and look forward to further collaboration when the opportunity arises. Having improved our own self-publishing know-how, we now have a broad range of options available to us, and regardless of how our games may be published we remain committed to creating unique titles featuring the “NO GAME NO LIFE” gaming experience expected of Grasshopper Manufacture with our own signature flavor and further enhanced quality.
We hope you will continue to watch over Grasshopper Manufacture as we make this next leap forward and move on to our upcoming 30th anniversary and beyond. We sincerely hope for and deeply appreciate your ongoing support for our studio and the titles we will create in the future.
Image: Romeo is a Deadman (Grasshopper Manufacture)
The move comes 7 months after the release of Grasshopper Manufacture's latest third person action game, Romeo is a Deadman. Despite NetEase's ownership, Suda and his studio attempted to negotiate with multiple partners about publishing the game before deciding to do it themselves, marking the first time in the studio's history they were able to do so. No More Heroes 3 was published by XSeed, and Travis Strikes Again: No More Heroes' original launch on the Switch in 2019 saw a lot of assistance from Nintendo.
On their Bluesky social media account, Grasshopper reaffirms their new independent status:
We've gone independent.
NO GAME NO LIFE.
From October 1st, Grasshopper Manufacture will be taking the first step on an all new adventure. We look forward to your continued support.
According to Suda51, a Nintendo Switch 2 version of Romeo is a Deadman is still in development. And while there are talks of a physical release, no official plans have come to fruition as of this writing. It is currently available digitially on the Xbox Series, PlayStation 5, and PC.
SOURCES: Bluesky, Gamepress.com