First look at Grasshopper Manufacture’s next, next game
Not Killer is Dead. A new, possibly next generation slash action game.
Grasshopper is teasing its next, next game—the one that follows after Killer is Dead. Studio boss Goichi Suda showed first artwork of the title to Famitsu this week.
“It was drawn by Yusuke Kozaki, who did the art for No More Heroes,” Suda told Famitsu. “Because this is the first title to represent the rebirth of Grasshopper, I had a firm hand in the art direction. As the project meetings continued, the feeling of ‘depth’ became deeper. I would think, ‘Is it really good to use this as the final design?’ But usually someone would tell me to give it a break for a little while.”
The “rebirth” mentioned by Suda is Grasshopper’s life under new owner GungHo Online Entertainment. The company’s acquisition of the studio was announced in late January.
“The impression left by the eyes is really strong,” said GungHo boss Kazuki Morishita in reference to the artwork. “Establishing characters in the case of a game, it’s quite an interesting production. I don’t think those parts really emerge in the ‘expression’ of the eyes.”
According to Suda, the new game will be an action title starring a female lead.
“There is a base for our specialty, the slash action games we’ve made so far. But with Gungho’s power, we want to put in our know how in ways we haven’t done before. We are also considering developing for not just offline devices, but online devices too.”
The new game will be released on consoles. Morishita added that they are “looking into future generation platforms, too.”
Suda said to expect a followup report this fall.