Grasshopper forms social game group with DeNA

Grasshopper Manufacture, the developer of titles like No More Heroes, Killer 7, and the upcoming Lollipop Chainsaw, has teamed up with Japan's Mobage gaming network operator DeNA to form a new social gaming company. According to a DeNA, the studio is tentatively named Grasshopper Social Network Service Inc. and will focus on developing social games exclusively for the Mobage platform catering to the smartphone market.

The office will be located in Shinjuku, Tokyo, and will officially open in November. Company CEO Goichi "Suda 51" Suda will be the CEO of the firm. He said in the press release that his aim is to bring Grasshopper Manufacture franchises to a new world of gamers thanks to the service's network and the popularity of social mobile games.

Suda and his team are no strangers to the social and mobile gaming business, with their most recent venture being the upcoming mobile version of No More Heroes.