Grasshopper Manufacture: Studio Splits From NetEase to Go Independent

Grasshopper Manufacture has officially ended its relationship with NetEase Games to operate as an independent studio as of October 1, 2026, the company announced. It marks a swift return to self-reliance for a developer that spent the last five years tucked under a multi-billion-dollar corporate wing.

In an official statement, co-founder and director Goichi "Suda 51" Suda framed the departure as a mutual decision reached after "thorough discussions" with the Chinese publisher, praising NetEase's "generous cooperation" during their partnership.

NetEase acquired the studio back in 2021, providing business planning, development funding, and a massive support network of artists and quality assurance experts. That safety net is now gone, but the studio says it has gathered enough self-publishing expertise to run the ship alone.

The details

• Effective date: October 1, 2026
• Key personnel: Goichi "Suda 51" Suda (Co-founder and Director)
• Milestone project: Romeo is a Dead Man
• Former parent company: NetEase Games (acquired Grasshopper in 2021)

What prompted the split?

According to the studio, the decision crystallized following the release of their latest title, Romeo is a Dead Man, which coincided with Grasshopper's 28th anniversary. Suda noted that the milestone prompted internal discussions about the developer's trajectory, leading to a collective desire to explore an "even wider variety of styles of video games" for their audience.

Reclaiming independence allows the studio to chart its own course, free from the corporate expectations of a parent company that has lately adjusted its investment footprint in the Japanese gaming market. Suda emphasized that the studio's signature "NO GAME NO LIFE" approach will remain intact, regardless of who handles the physical shipping of the boxes.

Rebuilding the safety net

Operating independently means Grasshopper is trading the deep pockets of a tech giant for creative autonomy. During its five years under the NetEase umbrella, the Japanese studio had access to thousands of parent-company artists and technical staff to assist with art assets and quality assurance—resources a mid-sized independent studio cannot easily replicate overnight.

However, Suda stated that the studio has significantly improved its self-publishing capabilities during its corporate tenure, leaving them with "a broad range of options" moving forward. It is a gamble on self-reliance at a time when the broader gaming industry has shown a distinct preference for safety in numbers.

Why it matters

Grasshopper's departure highlights a broader shift in publisher-developer relations, showing that consolidation is not always a one-way street. By stepping away from NetEase, the studio is testing whether a dedicated cult following and improved publishing expertise can sustain an independent developer in an increasingly expensive production landscape.