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Planning three big games over the next 10 years
Chinese publishers NetEase have bought Grasshopper Manufacture, the Japanese studio behind stylish, swaggering games includingNo More Heroes,The Silver Case, andKiller7. While NetEase have roots in mobile games, they have been investing in fancier things. Grasshopper say that with NetEase’s cash, they plan to release “three even higher-quality ‘Grasshopper Manufacture Games’” over the next decade.
No More Heroes – Launch Trailer - Nintendo SwitchWatch on YouTube
No More Heroes – Launch Trailer - Nintendo Switch
“NetEase Games understands the strengths of Grasshopper Manufacture Inc. and is willing to support us, and is an extremely reliable partner,” Grasshopper founder and CEO Goichi Suda (aka Suda51) said inFriday’s announcement.
“NetEase Games will be mainly responsible for advising on our business planning activities and providing sufficient funding for game development. We will be responsible for the creativity and production of games to ensure that we are able to continue to maintain the consistent ‘Grasshopper Manufacture flavor’ and game quality for which we are known. In addition, we will also receive strong support from the NetEase team composed of thousands of artists and technical experts in terms of game art and quality assurance. We will make the most of this support and strive to offer three even higher-quality ‘Grasshopper Manufacture Games’ to all gamers in the next ten years.”
The Chinese company were best known for developing mobile games likeDiablo Immortalas well as handling local publishing duties for games including Minecraft andOverwatch. They have taken steps into a new direction in recent years, including publishing melee battle royaleNaraka: Bladepointandinvesting in Quantic Dream. It’s also rumoured that they’vecourted longtime Yakuza director Toshihiro Nagoshito set up a new team (following that rumour, he didleave Sega, though his next steps are yet unknown).
I have a soft spot for Grasshopper and their rude ‘tude. They’re fully into absurd excess, brash dickheads, gore, cussing, and plots which are both ludicrous and treated completely seriously. Sometimes less fun to play than they are to think about, sadly. But man, Killer7 still looks gorgeous, and I’m still impressed that it parlays mega-edginess into coolness. You need a lot of confidence and commitment to pull that off.
