Grasshopper Manufacture CEO Goichi “Suda51” Suda has announced that the Japanese game studio will no longer be owned by NetEase Games as of October 1, once again becoming independent.
The split comes after NetEase Games’ five-year ownership of Grasshopper Manufacture, which was the result of an equity transfer agreement that involved the latter’s former parent company, GungHo Online Entertainment. The studio produced two titles under NetEase Games: 2024’s Shadows of the Damned: Hella Remastered (a remaster of the 2011 action-adventure game) and 2026’s Romeo is a Dead Man.
According to Suda, the decision to go independent was reached after thorough discussions with NetEase Games, which gave its generous support to the studio. While Grasshopper Manufacture has experience with self-publishing games, it is still open to collaborating with other studios and publishers (including NetEase Games) in the future. In the CEO’s own words, Grasshopper Manufacture is now ready for the “next fucking adventure.”
With so many options for developing and publishing, Suda says that Grasshopper Manufacture’s next course of action is to continue planning and developing unique games, all of which feature the “NO GAME NO LIFE” philosophy and distinct style that players have come to associate with the studio. As the studio nears its 30th anniversary, the developers sincerely ask fans for their continued support.
