Publishers didn't know how to sell Grasshopper games, says Suda

Goichi Suda believes that Grasshopper Manufacture games will sell better now that the developer isn't always fighting against publisher expectations.

In an interview with GamesIndustry conducted at GDC, Suda said Grasshopper's acquisition by GungHo will enable it to make its own promotional plans instead of falling in line with the publisher of the week.

"Grasshopper does have a very strong base; it's just that because we were so indie, publishers were always [treating us] differently," he said.

"Each publisher operates a different way, has different strategic ideas, so in terms of sales, what they did, was they kept creating what they thought was good. But in terms of publishing, it was a different company's strategic choice.

"So we believe that back then, when we were completely indie without a group company to be together with, we weren't able to translate our creative directly into sales because that was the part where there was always a wall between creative and sales transition wise.

"So now that we're one big group together [at GungHo] and we'll be publishing our own titles as Grasshopper, we believe that the creative side and the sales side will have a better connection. So we definitely believe that it will transfer to good sales because we will be able to choose our own strategy."

Grasshopper Manufacture is responsible for a number of highly-praised but comparatively low-selling games like Shadows of the Damned, Lollipop Chainsaw and No More Heroes. It has two announced projects in the works - Killer is Dead, which is due in northern summer, and an unrevealed action title which despite hints to the contrary is said not to be a new No More Heroes game.