Feb 10, 2026
3 min read
Romeo is A Dead Man launches on February 11, 2026 for Xbox Series X|S - find out how this whimsical space adventure came to life in an interview with its creators.
- Romeo is A Dead Man releases on Xbox Series X|S on February 11, 2026.
- Follow protagonist Romeo the Starling in a single-player adventure through a story that transcends space and time.
- In an exclusive interview, Suda 51 CEO and director Ren Yamazaki discuss how the game came together and the unique development style of Grassshop Productions.
Romeo is a Dead Man is coming to Xbox Series X|S on February 11, 2026!
In this third-person story, players take on the role of Romeo Stargazer, who is trapped in a space between life and death created by a mysterious time paradox.As FBI space-time agent "The Dead Man," Romeo uncovers a wild and unpredictable story through intense battles, tracks down the universe's most dangerous fugitives, and finds his missing girlfriend, Juliet.
There are many weird and wonderful themes in Romeo: Dead Man, so I sat down with executive director Goichi Suda (Suda 51) and director Hitoshi Yamazaki to explore how it all looks together.
This game is very chaotic when you touch the ball, how does it end?
Suda Goichi (Suda 51): Especially the start is ahead of the full tours, yes.If we make noise right away, we can get the player into the action as quickly as possible so they don't have to think about it too much.I'm happy if they can enjoy the activity from the beginning.
Ren Yamazaki: I've been with the company for a long time, so I'm used to Suda's style of storytelling.I think from that perspective, it's not too unusual for me.It is, yes, business as usual (laughs).Of course, I know it can be confusing for the first player, but the confusion is fun to watch.I'm really interested in how people will react to the story as a whole.
Let's talk about the main character - what decisions were made when bringing Romeo to life?
SUDA: I always like Romoo Stargazer in a very strong idea that is not only a lot of skill and a lot of funniest wearing?It is true to live in the way you believe it.I think to myself, "Romeus is the reason why we are the reason."
In Romeo A Dead Man the fight is hard and fast from the start.Is this always the main goal of the game?
Yamazaki: I was pretty firm about the core action elements of the game.So many different aspects and systems of the game changed during development, but in my conversations with our lead developer, Hironaka, we were convinced that the combat system offered a great sense of fun and engaging action from the beginning to the end of development.
Was there anything about the performance that you particularly noticed, Suda-san?
Suda: The big finale - Bloody Summer - paid a lot of attention to how it felt, and to that end the overall movement of the swords was carefully optimized so that it looked as realistic as possible.I'm pretty sure I made a lot of edits to the actual moment of impact, but that was in development for years and now I've forgotten exactly what I asked for (laughs).Action games are getting better and better in every detail.
We also paid special attention to how many enemies appear and where in each level.
Creating a brand new IP is tough, especially with a growing team – did you feel that pressure during development?
Suda: I think there's a lot of pressure, but we're a studio that thrives exclusively on original IPs, and we have a lot of long-standing IPs, so I don't think too much.There is a lot of pressure when it comes to team building, especially when employees come from different cultures and backgrounds in the company, but that is true for growing teams.When these two styles mix I think the studio's identity will grow, grow into something, and this is a constant process within every project we do.
In earlier parts of development, we had these big months where everyone showed the team what they were planning.Overall, I think it was quite positive, as everyone helped to understand the direction of the project and the feeling that this is "our" game, so to speak.
Yamazaki: I think that sense of "our game" among each individual team member is what also became the overall strength of the project.It is driven by dedication to every detail;everyone approached it with such sincerity that sometimes I felt I had to tell people not to go too far with what they were working on.
How would you describe Grasshopper's development style?
Suda: I would say that our development style is kind of advertising.We'll bring a bunch of ideas to meetings and we'll develop them just through conversation, and we'll choose what looks like something to implement, and basically we'll just choose the most interesting ideas and promotional ways to put them. Especially when it comes to action games, they're not really something where you decide on super rigid specifics from the beginning and track changes throughout development.You basically have to keep polishing very small parts to make the whole product better.These are the processes where Grasshopper's overall style develops.
Yamazaki: I don't know if this approach is an advantage or a disadvantage, but that's where the bold flavor of our games comes into play;I think it really suits people who enjoy it, and it's more of an acquired taste for a beginner.It's a bit like a ramen shop with a thick strong broth.
There must have been times when I thought of making things plain and salty for the public;although, I'm not sure it works like that even if I try (laughs).Usually what happens is that I start like that, but somehow I get tired of talking bad and end up adding a lot of spice without realizing it.
Suda: There are already plenty of "Orthodox" games already, and I don't think it's our place to compete with them!
Romeo Is A Dead Man is coming to Xbox Series X|S on February 11, 2026.
ROMEO IS A DEAD MAN
GRASSHOP MANUFACTURING INC.
