GungHo Online Entertainment Turns To Indie Studio 17-Bit For Western Growth

GungHo Online Entertainment, the publishers of Puzzle & Dragons and owner of Grasshopper Manufacture, have struck a deal with indie developer 17-Bit to promote and publish the studio’s games in North America, going forward.

17-Bit have developed games such as the turn-based strategy title Skulls of the Shogun and the upcoming sci-fi shooter Galak-Z: The Dimensional. The partnership, GungHo say, is part of the effort to expand their reach in Western markets, following the success of Puzzle & Dragons.

Suda 51’s Let it Die, the game that was formerly Lily Bergamo, is another title that GungHo hope will be successful in the West, the publisher said.

“17-Bit’s dedication to re-energizing classic genres for next-gen gaming fits perfectly with GungHo’s core values and notably expands the breadth of our game portfolio,” said Jun Iwasaki, CEO of GungHo Online Entertainment America, Inc.

“We pursued this partnership because we have high expectations for the developer and are eagerly awaiting to collaborate on their next major release.”