Grasshopper Manufacture
Japanese video-game development studio known for stylized, unconventional action games and the No More Heroes series.
Last updated August 22, 2026
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Overview
Grasshopper Manufacture is a Japanese video-game development studio founded in Suginami, Tokyo, on March 30, 1998, by Goichi Suda, widely known by his creative nickname Suda51. The studio developed a distinctive identity around auteur-driven games that combine punk and pop-cultural imagery, dark humor, surreal narratives, experimental structure, and deliberately unconventional combat or presentation. Its name reflects both a musical reference and Suda's early interest in the Japanese expression "battamon," associated with imitation or counterfeit goods; the added word "Manufacture" expressed the idea of building or making things. The company first attracted broader attention through original and licensed projects. Early work included titles such as Michigan: Report from Hell, Contact, Samurai Champloo: Sidetracked, Blood+: One Night Kiss, and Rebuild of Evangelion: Sound Impact. Licensed anime projects helped reduce the commercial risk associated with the studio's more idiosyncratic original productions. Grasshopper's international breakthrough came with killer7, a 2005 action-adventure game released for Nintendo GameCube and PlayStation 2. Its stylized visual design, fragmented storytelling, and politically charged atmosphere established the studio as a recognizable creative force beyond Japan. Grasshopper reached a wider console audience with No More Heroes, released for Wii in 2007. The game introduced Travis Touchdown, an irreverent assassin protagonist, and combined open-world exploration, sword combat, arcade-inspired challenges, and a knowingly excessive visual style. No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle followed in 2010, while the studio also collaborated internationally on Shadows of the Damned with Electronic Arts and developed additional projects across Nintendo, PlayStation, Xbox, handheld, and personal-computer platforms. During this period, the company expanded substantially, reportedly reaching approximately 140 employees while Shadows of the Damned was in development. Grasshopper Manufacture was acquired by GungHo Online Entertainment in January 2013. Its first release under GungHo was Let It Die, a free-to-play action game launched in 2016. In 2018, a corporate restructuring separated the Grasshopper Manufacture name and its original intellectual-property focus from the legacy organization, which continued under the name Supertrick Games and retained much of the staff working on GungHo-owned projects. The reconstituted Grasshopper became a smaller, more independent-scale studio operating under Suda's management. The post-restructuring studio returned to its signature franchise with Travis Strikes Again: No More Heroes, a spin-off and self-referential celebration of independent games and Grasshopper's history. It then produced No More Heroes III, the first mainline entry in the series since 2010. These projects marked Suda's return to a directorial role after a long interval and were developed with external support, while Nintendo assisted with physical distribution for No More Heroes III. NetEase Games acquired Grasshopper Manufacture from GungHo by October 2021. The studio subsequently stated that it intended to develop at least three major games over the following decade. In 2022, it announced the creation of Yabukiri Studio while teasing a new project. Grasshopper Manufacture remains positioned as a creator-led game studio rather than a high-volume publisher. Its commercial profile is built around recognizable original properties, particularly No More Heroes, and around the international appeal of Suda's distinctive creative approach. The company has also worked across licensed properties, collaborations, ports, remakes, and digitally distributed games, although ownership and publishing arrangements have sometimes limited its control over earlier works.
History
Grasshopper Manufacture was established in Tokyo on March 30, 1998, by Goichi Suda. Suda selected the Grasshopper name partly after the song "Grasshopper" by the British band Ride and partly from an abandoned idea involving the Japanese word "battamon," which can imply a copy or imitation. He added "Manufacture" to convey the act of constructing or making games. The studio developed a reputation for games that were commercially risky but highly individual in tone. Its early catalog mixed original concepts with licensed projects based on anime and manga properties. The original works included Michigan: Report from Hell and Contact, while licensed releases included Samurai Champloo: Sidetracked, Blood+: One Night Kiss, and Rebuild of Evangelion: Sound Impact. The licensed projects provided a more conventional commercial base alongside Grasshopper's experimental creations. The 2005 release killer7 became the studio's first major international breakthrough. Developed for Nintendo GameCube and PlayStation 2, it used cel-shaded imagery, multiple playable personas, an unusual control scheme, and a fragmented political narrative. The game helped establish Grasshopper as a studio associated with auteur game design rather than conventional genre execution. No More Heroes expanded that reputation. Released for Wii in 2007, it introduced Travis Touchdown and placed stylish sword combat, satirical celebrity culture, open-world exploration, and arcade-like challenges in the same design. No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle followed in 2010. Grasshopper also worked on Shadows of the Damned, a collaborative action title, and pursued projects for multiple platforms. A planned PlayStation 3 project called Kurayami, inspired by the writing of Franz Kafka, was cancelled; some of its ideas were later incorporated into Shadows of the Damned. During Shadows of the Damned's development, the workforce reportedly grew to roughly 140 people. GungHo Online Entertainment acquired Grasshopper Manufacture on January 30, 2013. The studio's first title released under GungHo was Let It Die, a free-to-play action game. In 2018, management and corporate changes divided the previous organization. The former company, later known as Supertrick Games, continued to handle projects connected with GungHo-owned intellectual property, while a new Grasshopper Manufacture operated under Suda's direction with an emphasis on its own properties. The new studio was considerably smaller, with about 20 employees reported in 2019. The reformed company released Travis Strikes Again: No More Heroes, a spin-off that framed the series' return as a celebration of indie games and Grasshopper's own history. No More Heroes III followed as the first principal installment in the series since 2010. The two releases also represented Suda's return to directing after he had not directed a game since the original No More Heroes. No More Heroes III was self-published by Grasshopper, with Nintendo assisting with physical distribution. By October 2021, NetEase Games had acquired the studio from GungHo. Grasshopper announced an intention to make at least three major games during the next ten years. In May 2022, the company disclosed the opening of Yabukiri Studio and offered an early tease of another project. The studio's modern identity therefore combines ownership by a major Chinese game group with a comparatively small, creator-led development operation centered on original concepts and the continued development of Grasshopper's established franchises.
- 2022
Yabukiri Studio announced
[1]The company revealed a new studio named Yabukiri Studio and teased a new game.
- 2021
NetEase acquisition
[1]NetEase Games acquired Grasshopper Manufacture from GungHo Online Entertainment.
- 2019
Travis Strikes Again: No More Heroes released
[1]The post-split studio released a No More Heroes spin-off and marked a return to its signature franchise.
- 2018
New Grasshopper Manufacture formed after corporate split
[1]A corporate restructuring separated the studio's original-IP operation from the legacy organization later known as Supertrick Games.
- 2016
Let It Die released
[1]Let It Die became the studio's first title released under GungHo.
- 2013
GungHo acquisition
[1]GungHo Online Entertainment acquired Grasshopper Manufacture.
- 2010
No More Heroes 2 released
[1]No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle continued the Travis Touchdown series.
- 2007
No More Heroes launches
[1]The first No More Heroes introduced Travis Touchdown and became one of Grasshopper's best-known original properties.
- 2005
killer7 brings international attention
[1]The stylized action-adventure killer7 launched for GameCube and PlayStation 2 and became a defining international release for the studio.
- 1998
Grasshopper Manufacture founded
[1]Goichi Suda founded Grasshopper Manufacture in Suginami, Tokyo, on March 30.
Products and positioning
An auteur-oriented Japanese game studio focused on visually distinctive, subversive, and often unconventional action and narrative experiences.
Action-adventure video game · 2005
killer7
A stylized action-adventure game released for Nintendo GameCube and PlayStation 2 in 2005. Its cel-shaded presentation, fragmented narrative, multiple personalities, and politically charged themes established Grasshopper Manufacture as an internationally recognizable creator of unconventional games.
Character-action game · 2007
No More Heroes
The 2007 Wii original introduced Travis Touchdown, an eccentric assassin who fights through a ranking of rivals. It combines motion-oriented sword combat, open-world exploration, satirical humor, arcade challenges, and a deliberately exaggerated visual identity.
Character-action game · 2010
No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle
The 2010 sequel expanded the Travis Touchdown formula with additional playable characters, more varied combat, and a broader set of missions. It continued Grasshopper's mixture of irreverent comedy, stylized violence, and pop-cultural parody.
Action-adventure game · 2011
Shadows of the Damned
A collaborative action game developed with external partners and released during Grasshopper's larger multi-platform period. It follows a demon hunter through a surreal underworld and incorporates concepts that remained after the cancellation of the planned project Kurayami.
Free-to-play action game · 2016
Let It Die
A free-to-play action game released as Grasshopper Manufacture's first title under GungHo. It uses a hostile tower setting, repeated combat runs, equipment management, and online-linked progression to create a difficult and highly replayable structure.
Action game and franchise spin-off · 2019
Travis Strikes Again: No More Heroes
The first Grasshopper title after the 2018 restructuring, this spin-off returns to Travis Touchdown while moving through a series of game-like environments. It was presented as a tribute to independent games and as a retrospective celebration of the studio's creative history.
Character-action game · 2021
No More Heroes III
The first mainline No More Heroes installment since 2010. It brings Travis Touchdown into a new conflict involving alien forces and retains the series' open environments, ranked battles, eccentric characters, and comic-book-like presentation.
Brand decisions
2021
Join NetEase GamesM&ABackground
After its period under GungHo and the subsequent corporate separation, Grasshopper Manufacture entered a new ownership arrangement.
Action taken
NetEase Games acquired the studio from GungHo by October 2021.
Aftermath
Grasshopper stated that it intended to develop at least three major games during the following decade while retaining its creator-led identity.
2018
Separate the original-IP studio from the legacy organizationStrategyBackground
Management issues led to an absorption-type split involving Grasshopper Manufacture and the organization that later operated as Supertrick Games.
Action taken
A new Grasshopper Manufacture continued under Goichi Suda with an emphasis on its own properties, while the former organization retained much of the staff assigned to GungHo-owned projects.
Aftermath
The new company became a smaller, more independent-scale studio and returned to the No More Heroes property with Travis Strikes Again.
2013
Join GungHo Online EntertainmentM&ABackground
Grasshopper Manufacture had operated as an independent studio since its 1998 founding before being acquired by GungHo Online Entertainment.
Action taken
GungHo acquired the company on January 30, 2013, and Grasshopper subsequently developed Let It Die under the new ownership.
Aftermath
The relationship was later reorganized through a 2018 corporate split, separating the Grasshopper brand's original-IP operation from the legacy business that became Supertrick Games.
Recent events
- Unconfirmed
NetEase Games acquires Grasshopper Manufacture[2]
Reported:
NetEase Games acquired Grasshopper Manufacture under an equity transfer agreement. The source says the agreement was signed in May but does not state when the acquisition was completed.
Sources3 sources
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