Goichi Suda leads Grasshopper Manufacture, which became independent from NetEase Games as of October 1, 2026. He remains hands-on in development, working on the studio's new IP ROMEO IS A DEAD MAN, released in February 2026.
Goichi Suda is the representative director of Grasshopper Manufacture, the Tokyo studio founded in 1998. Under his leadership the studio has built more than 25 years of development experience and more than 25 titles, including killer7, The Silver Case, and the No More Heroes series. The studio became a subsidiary of GungHo Online Entertainment in 2013, then came under NetEase through a share transfer agreement in 2021.
That ownership period ended on October 1, 2026, when Grasshopper Manufacture announced it had become independent from NetEase Games. The studio said the decision followed sufficient discussion with NetEase and its cooperation, and that it will keep a good relationship and cooperate mutually if opportunities arise. Procedures such as changes among officers are underway. The studio also said it has built up self-publishing know-how and will keep planning and developing titles with its own style.
Coverage of Suda himself is thinner than coverage of the studio's corporate move. A two-hour conversation between Suda and game designer Fumito Ueda, published by Automaton and held at a Japanese pub on a rainy spring evening, covered his hands-on QA work on the new IP ROMEO IS A DEAD MAN. Suda described last-minute bug fixes and tuning that frustrated his team. Ueda noted Suda's skill at adjusting sensory details like frame timing and enemy placement. That conversation ran in July 2026, before the independence announcement, and does not mention NetEase.
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Oct 3
Grasshopper Manufacture announced that it became independent from NetEase Games as of October 1, 2026. The Tokyo studio, founded in 1998 and led by representative director Goichi Suda, has more than 25 years of development experience and more than 25 titles, including killer7, The Silver Case, and the No More Heroes series. It became a subsidiary of GungHo Online Entertainment in 2013 and came under NetEase through a share transfer agreement in 2021. Grasshopper Manufacture released its latest title, ROMEO IS A DEAD MAN, in February 2026 and marked its 28th anniversary in March. The studio said the decision followed sufficient discussion with NetEase Games and its cooperation, and that it will keep a good relationship and cooperate mutually if opportunities arise. It said it has built up self-publishing know-how and will keep planning and developing titles with its own style. Procedures such as changes among officers are underway.
Jul 3
Automaton published a two-hour conversation between Grasshopper Manufacture CEO Goichi Suda and game designer Fumito Ueda, held at a Japanese pub on a rainy spring evening. Suda discussed his hands-on QA work on the new IP ROMEO IS A DEAD MAN, including last-minute bug fixes and tuning that frustrated his team. Ueda noted Suda's skill at adjusting sensory details like frame timing and enemy placement.