Punk’s not dead, as Grasshopper Manufacture is now an indie developer again.
Previously acquired by NetEase Games, the developer became independent from NetEase on September 30, and has now been operating as an indie on October 1.
In a press release attributed to Grasshopper Manufacture CEO Goichi Suda a.k.a. Suda51, the decision is amicable between the two parties. “We continue to cherish the amazing relationship our companies have built, and look forward to further collaboration when the opportunity arises,” the press release reads.
Under NetEase, Grasshopper released the remaster for Shadows Of The Damned and its latest title, Romeo Is A Dead Man. The latter is technically self-published by Grasshopper Manufacture, despite some store listing, like the one on PS Store Asia, labelled NetEase as its publisher.
Grasshopper has been operating for 28 years, since 1998. Their games can be described to have an eccentric quality with a distinctive stamp of an auteur at play. While titles like the No More Heroes series and Killer Is Dead may feel like action games mechanically, what surrounds the games—the theme, presentation, writing, and overall flavour—stands out to make them unique experiences compared to similar games in the same genre. Grasshopper also has made games outside of the action titles and shooters, including Michigan: Report From Hell and The Silver Case.
Grasshopper was one of the first of many studio acquisitions, and studio foundings, made by NetEase in the early 2020s. The Chinese publisher has since divested off from most of these ventures, with some titles being picked up by other publishers.
More recently, Stupid Never Dies by developer GPTRACK50, which was founded thanks to NetEase, will now be co-published by Sega.