Grasshopper Manufacture CEO Goichi “Suda51” Suda has revealed that the Japanese game studio will part ways with NetEase Games starting October 1, regaining its independent status once more.
This separation follows NetEase Games’ five-year ownership of Grasshopper Manufacture, which originated from an equity transfer agreement involving the studio’s previous parent company, GungHo Online Entertainment. Under NetEase Games, the studio developed two games: 2024’s Shadows of the Damned: Hella Remastered (a remaster of the 2011 action-adventure title) and 2026’s Romeo is a Dead Man.
According to Suda, the decision to pursue independence was the result of extensive discussions with NetEase Games, which provided significant support to the studio. Although Grasshopper Manufacture has prior experience with self-publishing, it remains open to future collaborations with other studios and publishers, including NetEase Games. As the CEO stated, Grasshopper Manufacture is now prepared for the “next fucking adventure.”
With numerous avenues for development and publishing now available, Suda indicates that Grasshopper Manufacture’s next step is to continue planning and creating distinctive games, all of which embody the “NO GAME NO LIFE” philosophy and the unique style fans have come to expect from the studio. As the studio approaches its 30th anniversary, the developers sincerely ask fans to continue supporting them.