Level-5 (company)

Last updated

Level-5 Inc.
Native name
株式会社レベルファイブ
Romanized name
Kabushiki gaisha reberu faibu
Company type Private
Industry Video games
FoundedOctober 28, 1998;25 years ago (1998-10-28)
Headquarters Fukuoka, Japan
Key people
  • Akihiro Hino
Products
Number of employees
300 (2024 [1] )
Subsidiaries
Website www.level5.co.jp

Level-5 Inc. [lower-alpha 1] is a Japanese video game developer and publisher based in Fukuoka. The company was founded in October 1998 by Akihiro Hino after he departed from Riverhillsoft. Early in its history, the company enjoyed a close relationship with Sony Computer Entertainment, with many of its games then funded by and produced in conjunction with them. Level-5 began self-publishing its games in Japan by the late 2000s, with other companies such as Nintendo handling publishing worldwide. The company is best known for their Dark Cloud , Professor Layton , Inazuma Eleven , Ni no Kuni , Yo-kai Watch , and Snack World franchises.

Contents

History

Level-5 was established in October 1998 by Akihiro Hino and his development team at Riverhillsoft, following the release of OverBlood 2 . [3] Since Hino did not originally believe that his team could become an independent developer, he formed a partnership with Sony Computer Entertainment, who would allow him to develop for their upcoming PlayStation 2 under the condition that he set up his own company. [3] The name, "Level-5", was a reference to Japanese school report cards, where "Level-5" is the highest possible mark. Soon after being created, the company had eleven employees. [3]

Level-5's first full-scale production was the action role-playing game Dark Cloud , developed under contract by Sony Computer Entertainment. Intended to be a launch game for the Japanese release of the PlayStation 2, it was delayed before the console's launch in March 2000 to allow further development, eventually being released in Japan in December 2000, and worldwide in 2001. Work immediately began on a sequel titled Dark Chronicle , released as Dark Cloud 2 in North America. The company was working with Microsoft Game Studios on an MMORPG for the Xbox, True Fantasy Live Online , before it was cancelled in 2004. [4]

Yasumi Matsuno, director of Vagrant Story , Final Fantasy Tactics , and the Ogre Battle series, briefly joined Level-5 in June 2011, [5] and left the company after completing work on Crimson Shroud for the Nintendo 3DS. [6] By the early 2010s, Level-5 was one of the ten largest video game companies in Japan, holding a market share of 3.2%. [7] In October 2015, Level-5 founded a spin-off company in Santa Monica, in cooperation with Dentsu, called Level-5 Abby. [8] In October 2020, it was reported that the company's North American operations, including Level-5 Abby, were shutting down due to low sales. [9] The same month, Level 5 launched a manga publishing platform called "Manga 5". [10]

Roid service

In 2009, Level-5 launched its Roid (Revolutionary Original Ideas Discovery) service, a mobile phone application that serves as a content delivery platform for mobile games. [11] It is only compatible with NTT DoCoMo's i-mode mobile internet service in Japan. Users pay a monthly fee for access to exclusive games and social game functions. The platform debuted with six games: Sloan and McHale's Mystery Story, Professor Layton and the Mansion of the Mirror of Death Remix, Chara Jo P, Yuuenchi wo Tsukurō Revolution, Treasure Island, and Elf the Dragon. The first three were developed by Level-5, while the last three were developed by outside companies. [11]

List of games

All games were developed and/or published by Level-5 unless otherwise noted

YearGameOriginal platform(s)
2000 Dark Cloud [lower-alpha 2] PlayStation 2
2002 Dark Chronicle [lower-alpha 2] PlayStation 2
2004 Dragon Quest VIII [lower-alpha 3] PlayStation 2
2005 Rogue Galaxy [lower-alpha 2] PlayStation 2
2006 Jeanne d'Arc [lower-alpha 2] PlayStation Portable
2007 Professor Layton and the Curious Village Nintendo DS
2007 Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box Nintendo DS
2008 Inazuma Eleven Nintendo DS
Professor Layton and the Unwound Future Nintendo DS
White Knight Chronicles [lower-alpha 2] PlayStation 3
2009Paul Sloane & Des MacHale's Intriguing Tales [12] Nintendo DS
Professor Tago's Mental Gymnastics #1 and #2 [12] Nintendo DS
Dragon Quest IX [13] [lower-alpha 3] Nintendo DS
Paul Sloane & Des MacHale's Intriguing Tales 2 [12] Nintendo DS
Inazuma Eleven 2 [12] [14] Nintendo DS
Professor Tago's Mental Gymnastics #3 and #4 [12] Nintendo DS
Professor Layton and the Last Specter [12] Nintendo DS
2010 Inazuma Eleven 3 [13] Nintendo DS
White Knight Chronicles II [lower-alpha 2] [15] PlayStation 3
Ni no Kuni: Dominion of the Dark Djinn [13] Nintendo DS
Ni no Kuni: Hotroit Stories [13] Mobile phone
2011 Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask Nintendo 3DS
Danball Senki PlayStation Portable
Inazuma Eleven Strikers [16] Wii
Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch PlayStation 3
Little Battlers eXperience Boost PlayStation Portable
Inazuma Eleven GO [17] Nintendo 3DS
Inazuma Eleven Strikers 2012 Xtreme Wii
2012Girls RPG: Cinderellife [18] [19] Nintendo 3DS
Ni no Kuni: Daibouken Monsters Mobile phone
Guild01 Nintendo 3DS
Little Battlers eXperience Nintendo 3DS
Time Travelers [20] Nintendo 3DS, PlayStation Portable, PlayStation Vita
Layton Brothers: Mystery Room Android, iOS
Little Battlers eXperience W PlayStation Portable, PlayStation Vita
Professor Layton and the Phantom Thieves Android, iOS
Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney [20] Nintendo 3DS
Inazuma Eleven GO 2: Chrono Stone Nintendo 3DS
Inazuma Eleven GO Strikers 2013 Wii
Fantasy Life Nintendo 3DS
2013 Professor Layton and the Azran Legacy [21] Nintendo 3DS
Liberation Maiden iOS
Guild02 Nintendo 3DS
Earth Devastating B-Grade Girlfriend Z: Space War Android, iOS
Yo-kai Watch Nintendo 3DS
Little Battlers eXperience W: Super Custom Nintendo 3DS
Fantasy Life Link! Nintendo 3DS
Little Battlers eXperience: Wars Nintendo 3DS
Inazuma Eleven GO 3: Galaxy Nintendo 3DS
2014 Weapon Shop de Omasse Nintendo 3DS
Yo-kai Watch 2 Nintendo 3DS
2015 Yo-kai Watch Blasters Nintendo 3DS
Yo-kai Watch: Wibble Wobble [lower-alpha 4] [22] Android, iOS
Yo-kai Watch Dance: Just Dance Special Version [lower-alpha 5] Wii U
2016 Yo-kai Sangokushi [lower-alpha 6] Nintendo 3DS
Yo-kai Watch 3 Nintendo 3DS
2017 Inazuma Eleven: Everyday+ Android, iOS
Layton's Mystery Journey Android, iOS, Nintendo 3DS
Snack World: Trejarers Nintendo 3DS
Otome Yusha [lower-alpha 7] Android, iOS
Yo-kai Watch Busters 2 Nintendo 3DS
2018 Yo-kai Sangokushi: Kunitori Wars [lower-alpha 6] [23] Android, iOS
Ni no Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom Windows, PlayStation 4
Snack World: The Dungeon Crawl – Gold Nintendo Switch
Yo-kai Watch: Gerapo Rhythm Android, iOS
Yo-kai Watch World [lower-alpha 8] [24] Android, iOS
Fantasy Life Online [25] Android, iOS
2019 Yo-kai Watch 4 [26] Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4
2020 Yo-kai Watch Jam: Yo-kai Academy Y [27] Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4
2021 Ni no Kuni: Cross Worlds [lower-alpha 9] Android, iOS
Megaton Musashi [28] Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4
2022 Megaton Musashi Cross [29] Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4
2024 Megaton Musashi Wired Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Windows
Inazuma Eleven: Victory Road Android, iOS, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows
DecaPolice [30] Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5
2025 Professor Layton and The New World of Steam [31] Nintendo Switch
TBA Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time [32] Nintendo Switch

Notes

  1. Japanese: 株式会社レベルファイブ, Hepburn: Kabushiki gaisha Reberu Faibu
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Published by Sony Computer Entertainment
  3. 1 2 Published by Square Enix
  4. Co-developed by NHN PlayArt
  5. Developed by Ubisoft
  6. 1 2 Developed by Koei Tecmo
  7. Developed by h.a.n.d.
  8. Developed by GungHo Online Entertainment
  9. Developed by Netmarble

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Akihiro Hino</span> Japanese video game designer

Akihiro Hino is a Japanese video game designer and businessman. Starting his career as a programmer in the 1990s, he later took on roles in writing, design, directing and producing. He founded Level-5 in 1998 and remains its president and CEO.

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Ni no Kuni  is a series of role-playing video games developed and published in Japan by Level-5; Bandai Namco publishes the games outside Japan. The first games in the series chiefly follow the young Oliver, and his journey to another world to save his mother and stop the beckoning evil. The sequel follows Evan Pettiwhisker Tildrum, a boy king who is usurped from his castle, and sets out to reclaim his kingdom. The games utilize several magic elements, allowing players to use magical abilities during gameplay, and follow groups of characters travelling the fantasy world to put an end to its threats.

<i>Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney</i> 2012 video game

Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney is a visual novel adventure puzzle video game for the Nintendo 3DS, and was developed by both Capcom and Level-5, the latter publishing it in Japan while Nintendo published it worldwide. The game is a crossover between two game series from both developers, combining the puzzle and exploration elements of Level-5's Professor Layton series, and the general trial mechanics of Capcom's Ace Attorney adventure series, the latter enhanced by the addition of a few new elements, including multiple witnesses, a concept continued with into the prequel series The Great Ace Attorney. Shu Takumi, the series director for the Ace Attorney series, assisted with the scenario designs for the game. The plot focuses on Professor Layton and Phoenix Wright, along with their respective assistants, working together to solve the mystery behind a young girl that they both encounter separately, and a strange world they are brought to through her, with Layton focused on solving puzzles and finding clues to solve the mystery, while Wright focuses on defending people who are put on trial for being "witches".

Professor Hershel Layton is the eponymous main protagonist of the Professor Layton series, created by Level-5, in which he and his apprentice Luke Triton investigate mysteries while solving various brain teasers. He also appears in an animated movie, Professor Layton and the Eternal Diva, and has featured in manga and novels that have not been released in English. His birth name was revealed to be Theodore Bronev in Azran Legacy.

The Guild series is a compilation of video games produced by Level-5 for the Nintendo 3DS in cooperation with various game designers. The first compilation, Guild01, consists of four games and was released at retail in Japan on May 31, 2012. Three of the titles have been announced for individual release on the Nintendo eShop in Western territories during Fall 2012. All four of them were released individually on the Japanese eShop not long after. A second compilation, Guild02, which features three games designed by Keiji Inafune, Kazuya Asano, Takemaru Abiko and Kaz Ayabe, was released on the Nintendo eShop in Japan during March 2013 and began releasing in Western territories in May 2013.

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<i>Yo-kai Watch</i> (video game) 2013 role-playing video game

Yo-kai Watch is a role-playing video game developed and published by Level-5 for the Nintendo 3DS and the first game in the Yo-kai Watch franchise. Originally released in Japan on July 11, 2013, the game is based on the Yōkai of Japanese folklore, who are said to be ghosts and apparitions that cause mischief in daily life. In Yo-kai Watch, player character Nathan "Nate" Adams or Katie Forester, depending on who the player chooses, is given the titular Yo-Kai Watch, which gives him or her the ability to see Yo-kai, after stumbling across and befriending the butler Yo-kai Whisper. Players assume the role of Nathan or Katie, as he or she travels around town searching for and befriending peaceful Yo-kai, battling hostile Yo-kai, and solving problems caused by mischievous Yo-kai.

<i>Yo-kai Watch 2</i> 2014 role-playing video games

Yo-kai Watch 2: Bony Spirits and Yo-kai Watch 2: Fleshy Souls are a pair of 2014 role-playing video games developed and published by Level-5 for the Nintendo 3DS. The games are a sequel to 2013's Yo-kai Watch, and were released in July 2014 in Japan, in North America and Australia in late 2016, and Europe in 2017. Much like their predecessor, the games put players in an open world, befriending and battling various Yo-kai, which are ghosts and apparitions originating in Japanese folklore, that cause mischief in daily life. In the beginning of the story, the memories of the protagonists Nathan "Nate" Adams and Katie Forester are erased when their Yo-kai Watches is stolen by two evil Yo-kai, leaving them with no recollection of their past adventures. However, they soon stumble across their Yo-kai butler Whisper and Yo-Kai cat Jibanyan once again, revived their memories and their adventures resume.

<i>Wonder Flick</i> 2014 video game

Wonder Flick was a role-playing video game developed and published by Level-5, which was released for iOS and Android devices. Versions for the Wii U, PlayStation Vita, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One were planned, but these were eventually cancelled upon the shutdown of the mobile version in 2015.

Snack World is a Japanese multimedia franchise created and developed by Level-5. Its consists video games, manga adaptations, a CGI anime series, and a toy line by Takara Tomy.

<i>Yo-kai Watch 4</i> 2019 role-playing video game

Yo-kai Watch 4 is an action role-playing video game developed and published by Level-5 for the Nintendo Switch. As indicated by the name, it is the fourth game of the main series of Yo-kai Watch video games; unlike the preceding Yo-kai Watch 3, 4 was initially released only as a single version in Japan in June 2019. An enhanced version titled Yo-kai Watch 4++ was released for the Switch and PlayStation 4 in Japan in December 2019. Its full name is "Yo-kai Watch 4: We're Looking Up At The Same Sky", translated from "妖怪ウォッチ4: ぼくらは同じ空を見上げている".

<i>Yo-kai Watch 3</i> 2016 role-playing video game

Yo-kai Watch 3 is a role-playing video game developed by Level-5 for the Nintendo 3DS which is the third game of the main series of Yo-kai Watch video games. It was initially released in two versions, Sushi and Tempura, in Japan in July 2016. A third version of the game, branded Sukiyaki, was released in Japan in December 2016, adding minor enhancements upon the original versions of the game. An English version based on Sukiyaki published by Nintendo was released in PAL regions in December 2018, and in North America two months later.

<i>Yo-kai Sangokushi</i> 2016 role-playing video game

Yo-kai Sangokushi is a turn-based tactical role-playing game developed by Koei Tecmo and published by Level-5 for the Nintendo 3DS in 2016 exclusively in Japan. The game is a collaboration between Koei Tecmo's video game series Romance of the Three Kingdoms and Level-5's multi-media franchise Yo-kai Watch and sees the player controlling military commanders who aim to unify the world.

<i>Yo-kai Watch Jam: Yo-kai Academy Y</i> 2020 video game

Yo-kai Watch Jam: Yo-kai Academy Y – Waiwai Gakuen Seikatsu, also known as Y School Heroes: Bustlin' School Life, is a 2020 role-playing game developed and published by Level-5 for the Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4. A spin-off installment in the Yo-kai Watch series, Yo-kai Watch Jam focuses on Jinpei Jiba, a student at the fictitious Y Academy, who investigates mysteries occurring in the academy and surrounding areas. He is also joined by his friends, who are among the playable characters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Space Dance!</span> 2015 single by Kotori with Stitch Bird

"Space Dance!" is the debut single by Kotori with Stitch Bird, a Japanese music group created by Level-5 CEO Akihiro Hino, formed of Dream5 member Kotori Shigemoto, Yulia, and Yuka. Released on September 16, 2015, "Space Dance!" was the 5th ending theme to the 2014 Yo-kai Watch TV-series, succeeding "Yo-kai Exercise No. 2".

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