Grasshopper cites Square as business partner

Tokyo-based developer Grasshopper Manufacture has implied that it is partnering with Westward-facing publishing giant Square Enix.

The news comes through as Grasshopper Manufacture’s official website undergoes a new design. At the time of going to press, Square Enix is listed on the website’s company information page as an official partner.

Grasshopper’s full list of official partners cites all the publishers the studio has previously worked with, from Capcom (Killer 7) to Tecmo (Fatal Frame 4) to Marvellous and Ubisoft (No More Heroes).

The list also includes Q Entertainment and EA; two companies that Grasshopper is known to be working with today for the development of an undisclosed horror title.

Square Enix is the only publisher on the list that hasn’t been officially announced as a partner, sparking rumours that the two studios are working together on a new project.

Grasshopper, headed up by Goichi Suda, has been involved in numerous projects since the studio formed in 1998. The company’s two biggest titles, Killer 7 and No More Heroes, enjoyed healthy press coverage and sales in the West.

However, neither Square Enix nor Grasshopper has made an official announcement regarding any kind of publishing partnership, or otherwise.

More as it comes through.