Grasshopper Manufacture goes indie again after splitting with NetEase

Grasshopper Manufacture, acquired by NetEase in 2021, is splitting from the Chinese company and returning to independent development. CEO Goichi Suda said on September 30 that the decision followed thorough discussions with NetEase Games and that the two companies still value their relationship. The split comes after the studio released Romeo Is a Dead Man this year, and as NetEase systematically pulls back from the games industry, including halting funding for Nagoshi Studio's Gang of Dragon.