Posted Wed Jan 30, 2013 at 06:30 AM PST by Brian Hoss
Being owned by a publisher may dramatically affect the future of Suda51 titles like 'No More Heroes' and 'Lollipop Chainsaw.'
GungHo Online Entertainment, known best for the Korean MMO 'Ragnarok Online' has acquired Japanese Game developer Grasshopper Manufacture. Grasshopper Manufacture is headed by Goichi Suda, aka Suda51, and is characterized by producing outlandish games in an increasingly vanilla AAA game space.
GungHo Online Entertainment CEO, Kazuki Morishita added, "We believe the strength of a publisher lies in its creative talent so with the addition of Grasshopper Manufacture and Suda 51 we are adding some of the most innovative talent in today’s gaming world to our stellar family of independently-operated studios. Suda 51 projects are known to put a unique spin on every game so coupled with our proven ability to support development with AAA resources including a tailored online experience, we believe gamers will benefit from this collaboration.”
Grasshopper Manufacture titles have been more cult hits than mainstream, but by not having to chase publishers around for each project, each title may increase in quality. On the other hand, a publisher used to generating profit may not be thrilled by break-even, fringe console titles.
Source: VG247
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