No More Heroes Developer Goes Social

Wacky cult hits are all well and good, but Grasshopper Manufacture wants a piece of that sweet, social pie.

In a move that will likely evoke comparisons with the Sesame Street game from Double Fine Studios, Japanese developer Grasshopper Manufacture is taking a stab at social gaming. The studio, which produces quirky games like No More Heroes and the upcoming Lollipop Chainsaw, has teamed up with one of Japan’s premier social networking services to make casual games for players on the go.

Right before the Tokyo Games Show, Grasshopper announced a partnership with DeNA, a Japanese service that combines cell phone gaming with social networking. As of now, Grasshopper plans to offer three games to DeNA. Frog Minutes focuses on catching wildlife in a tranquil setting. Since it was already released in March, it will now see a re-release through the DeNA service. Two other games, Humans vs Zombies and Alien Busters, have no details so far, but they will probably be more action-oriented.

With titles like Lollipop Chainsaw on the horizon, Grasshopper is hardly abandoning its zany roots, so its entry into social gaming need not threaten fans of previous games. Frog Minutes is already available in the U.S. for iOS, and the other two games will likely see a Western release as well.

Source: Kotaku