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Level 5 'planning' a PS4 game
Level-5 was listed as one of the third-party developers signed on for PlayStation 4 development. CEO Akihiro Hino told Nikkei (translated by Siliconera) that the company has a specific game in mind for the platform, which is in the "planning" stage now. He indicated that the developer and publisher "may" be able to announce this game in the near future.Hino said that it's important to figure out the PS4's network components when planning a game for it, as well as the usual specs and graphical tech.It's going to be really satisfying when Level-5 is making a PS5 game. Just for the sake of symmetry.
Level-5's Hino wants to adapt Studio Ghibli's Castle in the Sky
Ni No Kuni is the first collaboration between Level-5 and Japan's famous Studio Ghibli, and Level 5 CEO Akihiro Hino hopes it won't be the last. Speaking during a group interview session at a pre-TGS event at Namco's headquarters in Tokyo, Hino noted that he'd like to work with Studio Ghibli again. "If there is a potential opportunity to work with them again," he said, through an interpreter, "yes, we'd like to work on some joint projects with them in the future – if there is, of course, a possibility."Concerning exactly what sort of project he'd like to pursue, we asked if Level 5 has had any discussions about adapting existing Studio Ghibli properties into video games. Hino said that he would love to but, naturally, Ghibli would have to approve any such projects. Corporate approvals aren't a very entertaining topic of conversation though, so we just went ahead and asked which Studio Ghibli film he would like to adapt. Given the opportunity, he said, he would adapt Castle in the Sky.That strange rustling you just heard was the sound of millions of fingers being crossed.
Level-5 International America would like to develop games
Level-5's mysterious "International America" branch is working on the localization for Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch, CEO Akihiro Hino tells Siliconera. That kind of thing is the office's responsibility for the time being. "Our US office mainly works to efficiently release the Japanese titles that Level-5 has created overseas and they are involved in production and distribution in the overseas territories," Hino said.However, there's more in mind than localization for Level-5 IA. "In the future, we would potentially like to develop title overseas where Level-5 International America is taking the lead on developing for the overseas market," he says. Of course, with games like the Layton series, Level-5 already seems to have a decent handle on the overseas market.
Level-5 CEO introduces the new American office
Level-5's "International America" office is now up and running in Santa Monica, California, ready to begin doing ... whatever that office will be doing. In a video posted on the official website, Level-5 CEO Akihiro Hino outlined the operations of Level-5 IA. The office will "not only release games developed in Japan," he said, "but we are also planning to create original content for the US." Neither he nor the website mentions any specific projects undertaken at IA. Hino acknowledged the differences between the Japanese and American markets -- effectively ruling out the 3DS hostess RPG -- "but we hope to make innovative games that our fans in the US will enjoy." The company also posted a photo tour of its new offices. We're sure you'll be shocked to hear that they're beautiful.
The Game Archaeologist and the What Ifs: True Fantasy Live Online
As an extremely amateur historian -- and an extremely attractive archaeologist -- I've always been fascinated with the "what ifs" of gaming's timeline. What if Blizzard had pulled the plug on World of Warcraft during development as it did for Warcraft Adventures? What if Hellgate: London had a lot more time and resources before it launched? What if North America had embraced the free-to-play model much earlier instead of the subscription model? What if Shawn came to his senses before he hired me? Life would've been a lot better. Or worse. That's the problem with counterfactual history: We can make educated guesses, but we'll never really know. While it's sad to see MMOs shut down due to underperformance, it's especially maddening to contemplate MMOs canceled before they even made it to the starting gate. In a new periodic series here at The Game Archaeologist, I'm going to look at a few of the "what ifs" of prematurely terminated MMORPGs. And to kick us off, I'm tackling probably one of the most frustrating, painful subjects that still linger amongst potential fans. I'm talking, of course, of True Fantasy Live Online, the game that could've shown the true potential of console MMOs. Or, y'know, not.
Level-5's US office to make games for American audience
Speaking with Nikkei Trendy, Level-5 CEO Akihiro Hino offered the first indication as to the activities of the developer/publisher's Santa Monica office. Rather than being merely for localization or American publishing efforts as we supposed, this operation is actually going to make games. "We have five staff members at present," Hino said. "Titles that are being planned in the North American office are being developed in that region. The office staff is mostly Japanese, but we're using a style of development where we collaborate with local staff, so I believe we'll be able to make something that matches the North American market well." The first information about the US office's efforts will be unveiled at the annual Level-5 Vision event, which Hino said would probably take place in August this year. He also said that downloadable titles are increasingly popular in America, suggesting a possible focus for Level-5's efforts. Last year's Level-5 Vision brought news of Professor Layton vs. Ace Attorney and three other 3DS games.
Inafune: Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright a full collaboration
If you were surprised by the announcement of a Professor Layton and Phoenix Wright crossover game (WHAT), you're not the only one. Even Capcom's global head of production, Keiji Inafune, exhibited some disbelief over the adventurous collaboration in a recent interview with Japanese mag Famitsu (translated by Eurogamer). "I thought it would be impossible," he said, citing the careful handling of the Phoenix Wright character within Capcom, as well as creator Shu Takumi's insistence on trying new things (see: the upcoming Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective). "Nobody but Hino could have thought of it." Akihiro Hino, CEO of Level-5, was apparently instrumental in conceptualizing and then realizing this 3D battle of the brains. And there will be a bumping of heads between the two logic-minded protagonists, Inafune said, "before they join hands and take on a really big challenge." Whether you're rooting for the spiky hair or the fabulous top hat, you'll be happy to know that neither Capcom nor Level-5 seem satisfied with a meet-and-greet cash-in between their cherished properties. "It wasn't a case of licensing out the Phoenix Wright characters and demanding our licence money. That isn't a collaboration, and users would see that," Inafune said. "For this standalone game, we wanted to create a great history, which would have been impossible if both parties were not fully involved."
Professor Layton and the Mask of Miracle to offer daily downloadable puzzles
Level-5 is expanding the Professor Layton franchise into 3D with the new Mask of Miracle, but that added dimension isn't the only expansion taking place in this game. During the Level-5 Vision conference, CEO Akihiro Hino announced that the new 3DS puzzle title will have daily downloadable puzzles for a year. Previous Layton games have had weekly puzzles available through the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. (And if you didn't know that, you suddenly have a bunch of bonus puzzles waiting in your Layton games!)Hino also noted that Mask of Miracle was originally developed -- and announced -- as a DS game, but added, "We redid it from scratch midway through." He also revealed that the story takes place across two timelines, with a younger Professor Layton and the present-day (in the game's world) version both solving puzzles.
Professor Layton meets Phoenix Wright in crossover 3DS game
Professor Layton VS Gyakuten saiban -- the Japanese name for a new crossover 3DS game that features both Phoenix Wright and Professor Layton -- was revealed last night by Level-5 during a press conference in Tokyo. The game is being developed in collaboration with Capcom, though Ace Attorney creator Shu Takumi will be heading up writing. It appears that this marks the beginning of Level-5 and Capcom's much teased collaboration, and one of the four surprise titles Level-5 said it would reveal during its Vision 2010 event currently taking place in Japan. 1UP's liveblog details the gameplay of Professor Layton VS Gyakuten saiban as a "combination of puzzles and crime mystery," while Level-5 president Akihiro Hino characterizes the collaboration by comparing it to "two TV shows getting together and making a movie." The game's official website is scheduled to open officially on October 20, but we've embedded a shaky cam video of the reveal trailer after the break, courtesy of 8-4's Mark MacDonald.%Gallery-105411%
Level-5 president on making a better Professor Layton for America
With millions of copies sold, Level-5's Professor Layton franchise is an unquestionable hit. Already, the property has spawned one feature-length film, and is expanding to its fifth game in Japan. (The Unwound Future, which was released two weeks ago in America, is the third game in the series.) Who could have predicted the runaway success of the series? Not even Level-5's president, Akihiro Hino, could have seen it coming.In an exclusive interview, Hino told us that "I obviously didn't imagine the series would achieve the success it has." But, he attributes the franchise's achievements to Level-5's goal to "make an adventure game that anyone could play." Given the popularity of the games, Hino finds it unsurprising that a number of copycats have since followed, such as Puzzle Agent and Blue Toad Murder Files. "Doesn't it follow that if a game gets popular enough, similar games will start to appear?," he asked us.Nintendo eventually picked up the publishing rights for a North American release, which posed a number of challenges for the localization team. Hino admits that the first game was developed "without much consideration" for international audiences. As such, "we have had to alter and even remove certain puzzles," Hino explained to us. "The reason is usually due to their use of Japanese, or because a puzzle or joke would work in some regions but not in others. Ways of thinking, language, culture, and even religion differ from region to region, so we remove puzzles we feel wouldn't work, and try to replace them with puzzles that players from that market will enjoy."%Gallery-95768%
Capcom and Level-5 partner up for 'truly interesting things'
Even Capcom's Keiji Inafune can agree that the Japanese game industry isn't as "dead" as he says ... as long as Level-5 is around. He's struck up a partnership with Level-5 CEO Akihiro Hino. "Even though Mr. Hino is younger, he's someone I respect," Inafune said. The two companies are "working together on some truly interesting things," Inafune told Diamond Online (according to Andriasang's translation). Inafune said he respects Hino's work ethic, to the point that, "Before I met Hino, I had confidence in the amount of work I was doing, and even thought that maybe I was the hardest working person in the game industry. But after meeting him, I thought I'm probably not number one." The Level-5 head is looking for other ways for his (already mega-rich) company to grow. "Next year or maybe the year after that, we'd like to have Level-5 exhibit at E3," Hino said. "While it's recently become normal for us to exhibit at the Tokyo Game Show, to exhibit at E3 we feel that we have one more mountain to cross." He also expressed an interest in taking Level-5 public.
Level-5 CEO hints at North American releases for Ni no Kuni, Inazuma Eleven
Level-5 fans have a lot to look forward to. Akihiro Hino, president of Level-5, confirmed to Nintendo Power that some of its original non-Layton games would be coming Stateside, specifically Inazuma Eleven and Ni no Kuni: The Another World. It appears the company is already making good on its promise to promote its "overseas business." The soccer-themed Inazuma Eleven franchise has been a surprise hit in Japan, having already spawned two sequels on the DS (with a new console version in the works). And while Ni no Kuni isn't a proven franchise yet, it has already generated quite a bit of buzz -- particularly the graphically-intense PS3 version. Although Hino doesn't offer specifics about a release date for either project, he does say that "I don't think it will that be long before you're able to play these games." Unfortunately, we don't think he means they'll be here "tomorrow." The full interview with Akihiro Hino can be found in Nintendo Power #157, available now. [Thanks, Paul!]
Level-5 opening office in Santa Monica
Professor Layton, Dragon Quest IX, and White Knight Chronicles developer Level-5 is moving forward with its plan to establish an office in the US. Level-5 International America Inc. will open in Santa Monica, California this September. The company will further expand in 2011 with an office somewhere in Europe. CEO Akihiro Hino has said that these expansions are focused on releasing games overseas. At the very least, this should mean more localization staff, but it could also be a sign of Level-5 attempting to establish a publishing business outside of Japan. We're okay with there being a different logo on our Professor Layton games, as long as we have those games soon. [Via Siliconera]
Level-5 working on 'Time Travelers' for new hardware
This week's Famitsu (via Andriasang) outs a new project from Professor Layton and Dragon Quest IX developer Level-5: "Time Travelers," the first game out of Level-5's Tokyo office. The project is a collaboration between producer Akihiro Hino and Jiro Ishii, who directed "sound novels," like the acclaimed 428 for Chunsoft. Little is known about the game. The single piece of art featured in the magazine depicts a girl looking out over a ruined city from a clock tower. As translated, Ishii explained that the game has "the theme of the calamity that has become a trauma within me." Ishii is from Nishinomiya, a city affected by the Great Hanshin earthquake of 1995. As mysterious as Time Travelers may be, even less is known about the platform its being developed for. Hino said that the game is "centered on hardware that's not yet in this world; [and] it will expand to other hardware." It does seem appropriate that a game about time travel would be announced for a platform that doesn't exist yet. Considering Level-5's success on the DS, we'd guess Time Travelers is in development for 3DS, though it could also be designed for Project Natal or PlayStation Move --- or even a platform that's yet to be revealed. How great would a 3D game called Time Travelers be, though?
Level-5 CEO tweets hints about console Inazuma Eleven game
We currently know very little about Level-5's console-based spinoff of the DS soccer RPG Inazuma Eleven. In fact, here's what we know about it: It might be called Inazuma Eleven Break That's actually pretty much it. We don't even know which console or consoles it's being considered for, though the fact that it's based on a kid-friendly series suggests the Wii. As does the content of a tweet sent by Level-5 CEO Akihiro Hino (translated by Andriasang): "Meeting for the console version of Inazuma Eleven. Different from the DS version's RPG type, this has, maybe, the feeling of sports fighting. Perhaps those who like Smash Bros. will enjoy it." A sporty riff on Smash Bros. from one of the world's premiere RPG developers. How fascinating!
Level-5 considers opening US office
During the same event in which Level-5 CEO Akihiro Hino teased new Wii and PS3 games, he also suggested that the company may be setting up operations in the US. According to our own imperfect translation of 4Gamer's summary of statements, "Mr. Hino, in order to release software overseas, spoke about a plan to establish a new company in America," describing his intention to expand the company's activities from its current home of Fukuoka to the world. This new enterprise would be the second new office opened by the company for this purpose -- it recently established an overseas-focused office in Tokyo. Perhaps we'll see self-published Level-5 games soon. Perhaps that way we can get timely Professor Layton releases! [Via Siliconera]
Japanese game devs give their verdicts on TGS
While plenty of games press and hardcore fans flocked to 2009's Tokyo Game Show, attendance was down versus last year, and developers noticed. "The total attendance is down from last year, but myself, it felt less like a crush of people and more like a fun festival atmosphere like we used to have," Hideo Kojima told Famitsu in an upcoming feature.But not every developer looked favorably on the late-September show. Bayonetta director Hideki Kamiya pointed out that only three titles out of the 12 awarded 'Future' prizes at the Japan Game Awards were non-sequels. "That seems to go crossways with the term 'future' in my mind and it's frankly kind of sad," he said.Resident Evil 5 producer Jun Takeuchi revealed he was "a little disappointed" that there were very few Japanese-made titles positioned for the worldwide market. However, he does note the titles meant for Japanese consumption puts the industry (in the East) on a stable base. While Fumito Ueda -- currently working on The Last Guardian -- noted that he is extremely excited about offerings from the West, specifically Modern Warfare 2. "I feel a serious sublime beauty in all of Infinity Ward's FPSes," he told Famitsu, despite qualms that Western companies came to Japan to push their wares rather than discussing innovation.According to Akihiro Hino, head of Level-5 -- one of the busier booths at TGS 2009 -- the show felt "kind of plain." However, he does agree that the show offered a lot of games he personally wanted to play. "So in that respect," he noted, "TGS was great." If you consider waiting in line for 180 minutes to play one title great, we agree.[Via 1UP]
Puzzling: No plans for Wii Professor Layton
Everything is improved with waggle. It's a fact. Scientifically proven. And yet, Level 5 CEO Akihiro Hino has still seen fit to crush everyone's hopes of a waggle-infused Professor Layton. Hino told Official Nintendo Magazine that the upcoming Professor Layton and the Last Time Travel will conclude the trilogy, though it will soon be followed by the first episode of a new trilogy, entitled Professor Layton and the Flute of Malevolent Destiny. That's wonderful, and we're sure handheld puzzle enthusiasts will be thrilled, but Hino notes -- probably followed by a cruel, derisive laugh -- that there are currently "no plans for a Wii release." Frankly, we're shocked at the revelation, as a Wii release of Professor Layton seems like the mannerly, logical thing to do. We're sure the world-famous Hershel Layton would agree.
Level-5's CEO on lessons learned from Professor Layton's first adventure
In Level-5's homeland of Japan, the top-hat wearing sleuth Professor Layton is well past his originally planned trilogy, but North American gamers have only recently caught up to the second game in the franchise. According to Level-5 president and CEO Akihiro Hino, a combination of localizing the game's puzzles and images and giving each title enough room to breathe at retail are contributing factors to Layton's slow release schedule Stateside. "We want to let each title have time to perform on the market before releasing the next game," Hino told Wired.As for the recently released sequel Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box, Hino estimates the game features "roughly double" the amount of data than the first. Not only is Layton's new tea-sipping adventure bigger, but it makes more sense contextually. "One lesson we learned from the first title is that some puzzles seemed irrelevant to the storyline," Hino said, noting the Professor's second outing actually works the puzzles into the game's story to give them a purpose. "For instance, you may have to solve a puzzle about a key in order to enter a locked chamber."If Layton's adventure piques your interest, make sure to check out our review of Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box.
Mizuguchi, Suda 51 weigh in on E3's new motion controllers
In this week's Famitsu, three major Japanese developers discussed this year's E3 and how they feel about the various motion technology displayed. Grasshopper Manufacture's Suda 51, Q Entertainment's Tetsuya Mizuguchi and Level-5's Akihiro Hino all somewhat agree on what they see as the future of gaming. "Hardware-wise, it was all about Project Natal," Mr. Suda said, as translated by 1UP, noting his excitement on the possibility of creating a game specifically based around its technology."It's not a shift from 2D to 3D or in the number of polygons, but it's games trying to open up an entirely new door," Mizuguchi agreed, continuing, "I thought it would take longer, but it's happening faster than I expected." Ironically, when the trio chose the most exciting games at E3, the list quickly filled with Western-developed games, from Splinter Cell: Conviction and Assassin's Creed 2 to The Beatles: Rock Band. Could they resist the ubiquitous Final Fantasy name drop? No, no they could not. "The visual quality was so impressive that I doubted it was even a game," Hino said of AC2, adding, "Final Fantasy XIII is the same way." Impressed/interested by the motion technology but still loving AAA-franchise sequels? Sounds like the whole game industry right now.
