Grasshopper Manufacture Separates From NetEase

Grasshopper Manufacture has announced that it has separated from NetEase and will continue as an independent game developer, returning to independence after NetEase acquired the studio in 2021. CEO Goichi Suda said the studio wanted more room to create games in a wider variety of styles and had developed its self-publishing capabilities. Suda said the decision followed discussions with NetEase Games and described the company’s cooperation as generous. Grasshopper said it valued the relationship and hoped the two companies could work together again in the future. The announcement came from the studio; the supplied reports do not include a statement from NetEase or details of the separation’s financial or ownership terms. In explaining the move, Suda said Grasshopper had completed its work on Romeo Is a Dead Man and was considering the studio’s next stage. He said the team wanted to deliver titles in a wider range of styles while retaining the distinctive approach associated with its games.