Grasshopper Manufacture, the studio behind the No More Heroes series, killer7 and The Silver Case series, left NetEase Games on October 1, 2026 and is now an independent developer. The announcement, signed by Representative Director and CEO Goichi Suda, went out a day earlier, on September 30.

Why now? Grasshopper says the decision came after it wrapped up Romeo Is A Dead Man, the company-wide project that launched in February. (On Steam, the game supports English interface text, full English audio and subtitles.) Coming out of that project, the studio says it wanted to deliver games in an even wider variety of styles to players everywhere, and chose to continue as an independent developer once again.

Grasshopper says it has built up know-how in publishing its own games, which gives it more options for how its games come out. Whichever route it takes, the studio says it will keep making unique titles built around its “NO GAME NO LIFE” gaming experience.

The studio says it reached the decision after thorough discussions with NetEase Games, and with NetEase’s cooperation. It adds that it would like to work with NetEase Games again if the chance comes up. Procedures such as changes to its board members are still in progress.

Grasshopper Manufacture was founded in 1998 and is based in Tokyo. It has developed more than 25 titles, mostly for consoles. The studio joined the GungHo Online Entertainment group in February 2013 and had been part of NetEase Games since May 2021.

Grasshopper turned 28 in March and says it is now heading toward its 30th anniversary. It hasn’t said what its first game as an independent studio will be, or how that game will be released.