A new video posted online by Grasshopper Manufacture shows a brief glimpse of what appears to be a horror title built using Epic’s Unreal Engine 5. Though no details were given about the upcoming title during the brief clip, some fans are already speculating that the footage could be from a Shadows of the Damned sequel that was hinted at in 2021 by director Suda51.Grasshopper Manufacture is a Japanese video game developer founded in 1998 by Goichi Suda, better known to many gamers by his alias Suda51, that is responsible for creating several titles that have gone on to become cult classics. Some of Grasshopper’s most well-known titles include 2005’s stylish and surreal killer7 and the irreverent samurai slasher games of the No More Heroes franchise. Grasshopper has also developed several titles with horror influences, such as the demon-filled Shadows of the Damned and the cheerleader-led zombie action game Lollipop Chainsaw.In a Tweet teasing a new interview with Suda51 for the Grasshopper Archives, Grasshopper Manufacture’s official account posted a short clip showing a developer hard at work in the studio’s dev room. As the camera approaches the developer’s desk, they are seen sketching out some sort of grotesque creature on one screen while pictures of a physical model of the same creature appear on a second monitor nearby. When asked what they are doing, the developer explains that their job is to make 2D sketches of the 3D models, although they state that they don’t know exactly why they were given this task. Beneath the pictures, it is possible to spot a project file tree that indicates these concept images may be open in Unreal Engine 5, hinting that the engine will be used for Grasshopper’s next title.
Speculation ran wild after the release of the clip that the creature shown on screen could be from the rumored Shadows of the Damned sequel teased in 2021. Released in 2011, Shadows of the Damned featured Grasshopper’s signature stylized action and let players take control of protagonist Garcia Hotspur as he fought through waves of enemies with his demonic sidekick, Johnson, who also served as Garcia’s gun. The game was generally well-received by fans and critics, though the lack of commercial success likely played a role in Shadows of the Damned being delisted from online stores in early 2021.
Grasshopper Manufacture’s titles may not always achieve the commercial success of some of their contemporaries in the Japanese game development scene, but its unique characters, gameplay mechanics, and art direction have made the developer beloved among gamers willing to step off the beaten path. Unreal Engine 5 would let Grasshopper bring the demonic enemies of Shadows of the Damned to life in stunning detail, and news about a potential No More Heroes 4 shows that Suda51 doesn’t mind revisiting past titles, so this clip could be a hint at good news ahead for fans of the often-overlooked title.