Level-5 (company)

Level-5 Inc.
Native name
 株式会社レベルファイブ
Kabushiki gaisha Reberu Faibu
Kabushiki gaisha
Industry Video game industry
Founded October 1998 (1998-10)
Headquarters Fukuoka, Japan
Key people
 Akihiro Hino
(CEO and President)
Products
Number of employees
 300[1]
Divisions
  • Level-5 abby[1]
  • Level-5 Motion Capture Studio[2]
Subsidiaries
Website level5ia.com

Level-5 Inc. is a Japanese video game developer and publisher based in Fukuoka, who are best known for their Professor Layton, Inazuma Eleven, Ni no Kuni, and Yo-kai Watch franchises. The company was founded in October 1998 by Akihiro Hino after he departed from the now defunct Riverhillsoft.

Early in its history, the company enjoyed a close relationship with Sony Computer Entertainment, with many of its titles funded by and produced in conjunction with them. Starting in 2007, the company started self-publishing its titles in Japan, while Nintendo took over publishing on their systems internationally. By the early 2010s, Level-5 was one of the ten largest video game companies in Japan, holding a market share of 3.2%.[4]

History

Level-5 was established in October 1998 by Akihiro Hino and his development team at Riverhillsoft, following the release of OverBlood 2.[5] 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.[5] 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.[5]

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 (Dark Cloud 2 in North America). While not as successful as the first game, Dark Chronicle still gained critical acclaim and sold over half a million units worldwide.

Midway through 2002, the company had a substantial boost in recognition as it began development on three high-profile titles:

In just four years, Level-5 went from small startup studio to one of the premier RPG developers in Japan, and have since enjoyed immense critical and commercial success. In early 2007, the company released its first fully self-funded and self-published title in Japan, Professor Layton and the Curious Village, which has since enjoyed incredible commercial success, shipping more than 840,000 copies to retail, and has officially transitioned Level-5 into both a developer and publisher of interactive video game entertainment in Japan.

Yasumi Matsuno, director of Vagrant Story, Final Fantasy Tactics, and the Ogre Battle series, briefly joined Level-5 in June 2011,[6] who left the company after completing work on Crimson Shroud for the Nintendo 3DS.[7] In October 2015, Level-5 founded a spin-off company in Santa Monica, in cooperation with Dentsu, called Level-5 abby. Its purpose is to develop multimedia entertainment for Western demographics.[8]

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.[9] 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 titles: 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.[9]

List of games

Title Platform(s) Initial release date JP NA EU AUS
Dark Cloud PlayStation 2 December 14, 2000 Yes Yes Yes Yes
Dark Chronicle PlayStation 2 November 28, 2002 Yes Yes Yes Yes
Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King PlayStation 2 November 27, 2004 Yes Yes Yes Yes
Rogue Galaxy PlayStation 2 December 8, 2005 Yes Yes Yes Yes
Jeanne d'Arc PlayStation Portable November 22, 2006 Yes Yes No No
Professor Layton and the Curious Village Nintendo DS February 15, 2007 Yes Yes Yes Yes
Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box Nintendo DS November 29, 2007 Yes Yes Yes Yes
Inazuma Eleven Nintendo DS August 22, 2008 Yes No Yes No
Nintendo 3DS December 27, 2012 Yes Yes
Professor Layton and the Unwound Future Nintendo DS November 27, 2008 Yes Yes Yes Yes
White Knight Chronicles PlayStation 3 December 25, 2008 Yes Yes Yes Yes
Paul Sloane & Des MacHale's Intriguing Tales[10] Nintendo DS May 21, 2009 Yes No No No
Professor Tago's Mental Gymnastics #1 and #2[10] Nintendo DS June 18, 2009 Yes No No No
Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies[11] Nintendo DS July 11, 2009 Yes Yes Yes Yes
Paul Sloane & Des MacHale's Intriguing Tales 2[10] Nintendo DS September 3, 2009 Yes No No No
Inazuma Eleven 2[10][12] Nintendo DS October 1, 2009 Yes No Yes No
Nintendo 3DS December 27, 2012 No
Professor Tago's Mental Gymnastics #3 and #4[10] Nintendo DS October 8, 2009 Yes No No No
Professor Layton and the Last Specter[10] Nintendo DS November 26, 2009 Yes Yes Yes Yes
Inazuma Eleven 3[11] Nintendo DS July 1, 2010 Yes No No No
Nintendo 3DS December 27, 2012 Yes
White Knight Chronicles II[11][13] PlayStation 3 July 8, 2010 Yes Yes Yes Yes
Ni no Kuni: Dominion of the Dark Djinn[11] Nintendo DS December 9, 2010 Yes No No No
Ni no Kuni: Hotroit Stories[11] Mobile phone December 9, 2010 Yes No No No
Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask Nintendo 3DS February 26, 2011 Yes Yes Yes Yes
Danball Senki PlayStation Portable June 16, 2011 Yes No No No
Inazuma Eleven Strikers[14] Wii July 16, 2011 Yes No Yes No
Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch PlayStation 3 November 17, 2011 Yes Yes Yes Yes
Little Battlers eXperience Boost PlayStation Portable November 23, 2011 Yes No No No
Inazuma Eleven GO[15] Nintendo 3DS December 15, 2011 Yes No Yes Yes
Inazuma Eleven Strikers 2012 Xtreme Wii December 22, 2011 Yes No No No
Girls RPG: Cinderellife[16][17] Nintendo 3DS March 8, 2012 Yes No No No
Ni no Kuni: Daibouken Monsters Mobile phone May 11, 2012 Yes No No No
Guild01 Nintendo 3DS May 31, 2012 Yes Yes Yes Yes
Little Battlers eXperience Nintendo 3DS July 5, 2012 Yes Yes Yes Yes
Time Travelers[18] Nintendo 3DS July 12, 2012 Yes No No No
PlayStation Portable
PlayStation Vita
Layton Brothers: Mystery Room Android September 21, 2012 Yes Yes Yes No
iOS
Little Battlers eXperience W PlayStation Portable October 18, 2012 Yes No No No
PlayStation Vita
Professor Layton and the Phantom Thieves Android November 14, 2012 Yes No No No
iOS
Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney[18] Nintendo 3DS November 29, 2012 Yes Yes Yes Yes
Inazuma Eleven GO 2: Chrono Stone Nintendo 3DS December 13, 2012 Yes No Yes No
Inazuma Eleven GO Strikers 2013 Wii December 20, 2012 Yes No No No
Fantasy Life Nintendo 3DS December 27, 2012 Yes Yes Yes Yes
Professor Layton and the Azran Legacy[19] Nintendo 3DS February 28, 2013 Yes Yes Yes Yes
Liberation Maiden iOS March 7, 2013 Yes No No No
Guild02 Nintendo 3DS March 13, 2013 Yes Yes Yes No
Earth Devastating B-Grade Girlfriend Z: Space War iOS June 25, 2013 Yes No No No
Android August 12, 2013
Yo-kai Watch Nintendo 3DS July 11, 2013 Yes Yes Yes Yes
Little Battlers eXperience W: Super Custom Nintendo 3DS July 18, 2013 Yes No No No
Fantasy Life Link! Nintendo 3DS July 25, 2013 Yes No No No
Little Battlers eXperience: Wars Nintendo 3DS October 31, 2013 Yes No No No
Inazuma Eleven GO 3: Galaxy Nintendo 3DS December 5, 2013 Yes No No No
Yo-kai Watch 2 Nintendo 3DS July 10, 2014 Yes Yes Yes Yes
Yo-kai Watch Blasters Nintendo 3DS July 11, 2015 Yes Yes Yes Yes
Yo-kai Watch: Wibble Wobble[lower-alpha 1][20] Android October 21, 2015 Yes Yes Yes Yes
iOS October 28, 2015
Yo-kai Watch Dance: Just Dance Special Version[lower-alpha 2] Wii U December 5, 2015 Yes No No No
Yo-kai Sangokushi[lower-alpha 3] Nintendo 3DS April 2, 2016 Yes No No No
Yo-kai Watch 3 Nintendo 3DS July 16, 2016 Yes Yes Yes Yes
Inazuma Eleven: Everyday+ Android June 30, 2017 Yes No No No
iOS
Layton's Mystery Journey Android July 20, 2017 Yes Yes Yes Yes
iOS
Nintendo 3DS
The Snack World: Trejarers Nintendo 3DS August 10, 2017 Yes No No No
Otome Yusha[lower-alpha 4][21] Android December 16, 2017 Yes No No No
iOS
Yo-kai Watch Blasters 2 Nintendo 3DS December 16, 2017 Yes No No No
Yo-kai Sangokushi: Kunitori Wars[lower-alpha 3] Android January 11, 2018[22] Yes No No No
iOS
Ni no Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom Microsoft Windows March 23, 2018 Yes Yes Yes Yes
PlayStation 4
The Snack World: Trejarers Gold Nintendo Switch[23] April 12, 2018 Yes No No No
Yo-kai Watch: Gerapo Rhythm Android May 10, 2018 Yes No No No
iOS
Yo-kai Watch World[lower-alpha 5] Android June 27, 2018[24] Yes No No No
iOS
Fantasy Life Online Android July 23, 2018[25] Yes No No No
iOS
The Snack World Android 2018 Yes Yes Yes Yes
iOS
Yo-kai Daijiten Android 2018 Yes No No No
iOS
Inazuma Eleven Ares Android Q4 2018 Yes Yes Yes Yes
iOS
Nintendo Switch
PlayStation 4
Yo-kai Watch 4 Nintendo Switch Q2 2019[26] Yes No No No
Megaton Musashi TBA TBA Yes N/A N/A N/A
True Fantasy Live Online Xbox Canceled N/A N/A N/A N/A
Ushiro PlayStation Portable Canceled N/A N/A N/A N/A

Notes

  1. ↑ Co-developed by NHN PlayArt
  2. ↑ Developed by Ubisoft
  3. 1 2 Developed by Koei Tecmo
  4. ↑ Developed by h.a.n.d.
  5. ↑ Developed by GungHo Online Entertainment

References

  1. 1 2 http://www.level5.co.jp/company/outline.html
  2. ↑ http://www.level5.co.jp/mcs/
  3. ↑ http://www.level5.co.jp/news/20161226/
  4. ↑ "Market Data". Capcom. September 30, 2013. Retrieved August 28, 2014.
  5. 1 2 3 Hino, Akihiro; Iwata, Satoru (2010). "Iwata Asks: Professor Layton and the Mask of Miracles, page 2". Iwata Asks. Nintendo of America Inc. Retrieved December 8, 2011.
  6. ↑ "How Yasumi Matsuno Ended Up at Level-5". June 30, 2011. Archived from the original on June 30, 2011.
  7. ↑ "Yasumi Matsuno leaves Level 5". November 8, 2012.
  8. ↑ "LEVEL-5 abby Inc".
  9. 1 2 "Level-5's ROID Service Kicks Off Today -- Andriasang.com". December 24, 2012. Archived from the original on December 24, 2012.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Level-5 International America History & Products 2009". 2011. Retrieved July 27, 2011.
  11. 1 2 3 4 5 "Level-5 International America History & Products 2010". 2011. Retrieved July 27, 2011.
  12. ↑ "In shops now: Inazuma Eleven 2: Firestorm and Inazuma Eleven 2: Blizzard". 2012. Retrieved May 10, 2012.
  13. ↑ "TGS 2009: White Knight Chronicles 2 Revealed". Kotaku.
  14. ↑ "今度の敵は未来から!? 『イナズマイレブン』感謝祭で映画版・Wii版・第4弾を発表 - 電撃オンライン" (in Japanese). News.dengeki.com. June 27, 2010. Retrieved August 1, 2013.
  15. ↑ "3DS Inazuma Eleven Due This Winter". June 19, 2011. Archived from the original on June 19, 2011.
  16. ↑ "Level-5 Bringing Mobile Hostess Sim to 3DS (andriasang.com, 10.20.2010)". October 22, 2010. Archived from the original on October 22, 2010.
  17. ↑ "Girl's RPG Cinderelife - In Development". Archived from the original on March 28, 2012. Retrieved July 27, 2011.
  18. 1 2 GUEST. "Level-5 Vision 2010 Live Blog (andriasang.com, 10.19.2010)". Web.archive.org. Archived from the original on October 21, 2010. Retrieved February 5, 2014.
  19. ↑ Gantayat, Anoop (2011). "First Professor Layton Crosses One Million". Adriasang. Archived from the original on April 8, 2011. Retrieved July 27, 2011.
  20. ↑ "Yo-kai Watch: Wibble Wobble". yo-kai-wibblewobble.com.
  21. ↑ "オトメ勇者". Official Otome Yusha game page.
  22. ↑ Romano, Sal. "Yo-kai Sangokushi: Kunitori Wars now available in Japan". Gematsu. Retrieved 23 January 2018.
  23. ↑ "The Snack World: Trejarers Is Headed To Nintendo Switch". Siliconera. Retrieved 15 January 2018.
  24. ↑ Sato. "Yo-kai Watch World For Smartphones Is The Series' Take On Pokémon GO". Siliconera. Retrieved 11 July 2018.
  25. ↑ Sato. "Fantasy Life Online Goes Live In Japan On July 23". Siliconera. Retrieved 20 September 2018.
  26. ↑ Ryan, Craddock. "Yo-Kai Watch 4 Has Been Delayed Until Spring 2019 In Japan". Nintendo Life. Retrieved 12 October 2018.
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