Goichi “SUDA51” Suda’s Tokyo-based studio signed a deal with the Chinese giant at the end of May, having previously been owned by GungHo Online Entertainment. Suda said NetEase will be mainly responsible for “advising on business planning activities” and providing funding for development, leaving Grasshopper to focus on production. Grasshopper will also benefit from NetEase’s game art and quality assurance support. Grasshopper recently released No More Heroes 3 on Nintendo Switch and, in 2019, Travis Strikes Again: No More Heroes. It’s also known for 2005 GameCube classic Killer7, 2011’s Shadows of the Damned, 2012 action game Lollipop Chainsaw and 2016’s Let It Die. Grasshopper plans to release three “even higher-quality” games over the next 10 years, SUDA51 said. In 2018, NetEase invested $100m into Destiny developer Bungie, and in 2019 obtained a minority stake in Heavy Rain, Beyond: Two Souls and Detroit: Become Human developer Quantic Dream. Yakuza creator Toshihiro Nagoshi recently left Sega to start up a new studio within NetEase.
