Grasshopper Studios, home of eccentric designer Suda 51, has inked a deal with evil megacorporation Electronic Arts. The deal is for EA to publish a brand new horror action game by produced by Shinji Mikami and directed by innovative game designer Suda51.
Details are very sparse right now and we'll have more for you as when they come in. We do know the game is due for release on PS3, Xbox 360 and Wii. For Suda, whose games have never sold half as well as they should have, a publishing deal with EA can only mean good things for fans of the weird, the surreal, and the downright brilliant.
Press release after the jump.
Redwood City, Calif – August 14, 2008 – Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: ERTS) today announced a publishing agreement with iconic Japanese development studio Grasshopper Manufacture. Under the terms of the deal, EA Partners will publish an all-new action horror game produced by Shinji Mikami and directed by innovative game designer Suda51.
The title is being developed for the PC, Xbox 360® video game system from Microsoft, PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system and Wii™.
"Grasshopper Manufacture is excited to work with EA Partners to bring our new title to gamers around the world," said Goichi Suda, CEO of Grasshopper Manufacture. "They are a great partner who shares our commitment to quality and innovation while respecting our independence as a studio, which is very empowering."
"It is an honor for EA to sign Grasshopper Manufacture and help bring their new franchise to gamers worldwide," said Frank Gibeau, President of the EA Games Label. "The roster of partners at EA is growing and the caliber of talent is outstanding. Grasshopper Manufacture is a world-class studio and, within the EA partner program, they stand alongside some of the world's most revered independent studios."
"Grasshopper Manufacture is one of the most daring and innovative independent studios in the world, and EA Partners is honored to be working with Mikami-san and Suda-san on this new project," said David DeMartini, senior vice president and general manager, EA Partners. "EA Partners is a truly global resource for the world's best independent developers, whether they're in North America, Europe or Asia."
The deal was brokered by CAA, in conjunction with Q Entertainment who will be working with Grasshopper Manufacture and EAP on the project.
For more information about Grasshopper Manufacture, please visit www.grasshoppermanufacture.com
For more information about EA, please visit our press Web site at http://info.ea.com
Contest:
4:35 PM on 08.14.2008
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I think my heart just skipped a beat.
Wonder why Capcom isn't publishing... maybe once we know anything about the game it'll be more telling.
Suda's is actually logical. It's a numerical representation of his name, Goichi Suda. In Japan, "go" means 5 and "ichi" is Japanese for 1. Hence, five and one -- Suda 51.
Not sure if this is what you mean, but Suda's first name is Goichi, 'go' is the number 5 and 'ichi' the number 1 in Japanese, thus the 51.
Honestly although I enjoy the bizarre spirit of Suda's games, as of No More Heroes I've cast some doubt on things he's involved in. Mikami's involvement, however, is reassuring and hopefully the quality of whatever they come up with will reflect that.
I suspect that if Mikami hadn't been involved with Killer 7 it may have turned out to be a disaster (even moreso than some already consider it). Or maybe Grasshopper's poor sales performance has stuck them with a shoddy development team.
EA are really improving their game! The awesome killer7 duo (Suda51 and Mikami) back together only means awesomeness!
YOU DON'T MAKE A GAME SO SCARY I CAN'T BUY IT YOU BASTARDS.
Good On Ya, EA =D!
My ONE reservation is that I hope it's a self contained game, rather than the first in a series. If it becomes a series, chances are EA'll get someone else to make the sequel and fuck it up, unless they buy Grasshopper. And a Grasshopper purchase is unlikely.
Yes, please.
also I'm a Suda fanboy.
Go Suda.
I hope this means Suda will actually contribute to a polished/completed game this time around.