Grasshopper Manufacture: 25 years and still hopping

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As Grasshopper Manufacture hit 25 years of operations, CEO Goichi "Suda 51" Suda insists to GamesIndustry.biz that the studio's motto of 'Punk's not dead,' a message that its creative works will shock and or stimulate people is "still alive and kicking."

Suda notes that the studio's name is an homage to both the song "Grasshopper" by British rock band Ride and a reminder to himself of how it feels like working in game development and constantly hopping between tasks.

Grasshopper gained international recognition with the 2005 release of Killer 7 on the Nintendo Gamecube. The action-adventure title received a visibility boost thanks to a publishing deal with Capcom, and gained further notice for its unique and convoluted story about a group of assassins fighting a supernatural terrorist organization.

Suda explains, "Until Killer 7, we had mainly focused on titles for the Japanese domestic market. My interest in the overseas market was sparked when I went to E3 for the first time. I experienced what I felt was the true 'home' of video games. With Killer 7 being produced by Shinji Mikami and sold under the Capcom brand, it was like the door to the rest of the world was suddenly opened for me. Having Capcom distribute our game was a really special experience."

Speaking of the studio's portfolio, early on, it featured titles with narratives that didn't shy away from using politics. For example, The Silver Case is a mystery that involves the police chasing a criminal who's seen as a hero among the public for murdering corrupt politicians and criminals who were unpunished by the legal system.

Suda explains these narrative choices weren't