# Level-5 (company)

Level-5 Inc. 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 known for their Dark Cloud, Professor Layton, Inazuma Eleven, Ni no Kuni, Yo-kai Watch, and Snack World franchises.

## History

Level-5 was established in October 1998 by Akihiro Hino and his development team at Riverhillsoft, following the release of OverBlood 2. 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. 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.
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.
Yasumi Matsuno, director of Vagrant Story, Final Fantasy Tactics, and the Ogre Battle series, briefly joined Level-5 in June 2011, and left the company after completing work on Crimson Shroud for the Nintendo 3DS. By the early 2010s, Level-5 was one of the ten largest video game companies in Japan, holding a market share of 3.2%. In October 2015, Level-5 founded a spin-off company in Santa Monica, in cooperation with Dentsu, called Level-5 Abby. In October 2020, it was reported that the company's North American operations, including Level-5 Abby, were shutting down due to low sales. The same month, Level 5 launched a manga publishing platform called "Manga 5".

### 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. 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.

## List of games

All games were developed and/or published by Level-5 unless otherwise noted
| Year | Game | Original platform(s) |
| 2000 | Dark Cloud | PlayStation 2 |
| 2002 | Dark Chronicle | PlayStation 2 |
| 2004 | Dragon Quest VIII | PlayStation 2 |
| 2005 | Rogue Galaxy | PlayStation 2 |
| 2006 | Jeanne d'Arc | 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 |
| 2008 | Professor Layton and the Unwound Future | Nintendo DS |
| 2008 | White Knight Chronicles | PlayStation 3 |
| 2009 | Paul Sloane & Des MacHale's Intriguing Tales | Nintendo DS |
| 2009 | Professor Tago's Mental Gymnastics #1 and #2 | Nintendo DS |
| 2009 | Dragon Quest IX | Nintendo DS |
| 2009 | Paul Sloane & Des MacHale's Intriguing Tales 2 | Nintendo DS |
| 2009 | Inazuma Eleven 2 | Nintendo DS |
| 2009 | Professor Tago's Mental Gymnastics #3 and #4 | Nintendo DS |
| 2009 | Professor Layton and the Last Specter | Nintendo DS |
| 2010 | Inazuma Eleven 3 | Nintendo DS |
| 2010 | White Knight Chronicles II | PlayStation 3 |
| 2010 | Ni no Kuni: Dominion of the Dark Djinn | Nintendo DS |
| 2010 | Ni no Kuni: Hotroit Stories | Mobile phone |
| 2011 | Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask | Nintendo 3DS |
| 2011 | Danball Senki | PlayStation Portable |
| 2011 | Inazuma Eleven Strikers | Wii |
| 2011 | Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch | PlayStation 3 |
| 2011 | Little Battlers eXperience Boost | PlayStation Portable |
| 2011 | Inazuma Eleven GO | Nintendo 3DS |
| 2011 | Inazuma Eleven Strikers 2012 Xtreme | Wii |
| 2012 | Girls RPG: Cinderellife | Nintendo 3DS |
| 2012 | Ni no Kuni: Daibouken Monsters | Mobile phone |
| 2012 | Guild01 | Nintendo 3DS |
| 2012 | Little Battlers eXperience | Nintendo 3DS |
| 2012 | Time Travelers | Nintendo 3DS, PlayStation Portable, PlayStation Vita |
| 2012 | Layton Brothers: Mystery Room | Android, iOS |
| 2012 | Little Battlers eXperience W | PlayStation Portable, PlayStation Vita |
| 2012 | Professor Layton and the Phantom Thieves | Android, iOS |
| 2012 | Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney | Nintendo 3DS |
| 2012 | Inazuma Eleven GO 2: Chrono Stone | Nintendo 3DS |
| 2012 | Inazuma Eleven GO Strikers 2013 | Wii |
| 2012 | Fantasy Life | Nintendo 3DS |
| 2013 | Professor Layton and the Azran Legacy | Nintendo 3DS |
| 2013 | Liberation Maiden | iOS |
| 2013 | Guild02 | Nintendo 3DS |
| 2013 | Earth Devastating B-Grade Girlfriend Z: Space War | Android, iOS |
| 2013 | Yo-kai Watch | Nintendo 3DS |
| 2013 | Little Battlers eXperience W: Super Custom | Nintendo 3DS |
| 2013 | Fantasy Life Link! | Nintendo 3DS |
| 2013 | Little Battlers eXperience: Wars | Nintendo 3DS |
| 2013 | Inazuma Eleven GO 3: Galaxy | Nintendo 3DS |
| 2014 | Weapon Shop de Omasse | Nintendo 3DS |
| 2014 | Yo-kai Watch 2 | Nintendo 3DS |
| 2015 | Yo-kai Watch Blasters | Nintendo 3DS |
| 2015 | Yo-kai Watch: Wibble Wobble | Android, iOS |
| 2015 | Yo-kai Watch Dance: Just Dance Special Version | Wii U |
| 2016 | Yo-kai Sangokushi | Nintendo 3DS |
| 2016 | Yo-kai Watch 3 | Nintendo 3DS |
| 2017 | Inazuma Eleven: Everyday+ | Android, iOS |
| 2017 | Layton's Mystery Journey | Android, iOS, Nintendo 3DS |
| 2017 | Snack World: Trejarers | Nintendo 3DS |
| 2017 | Otome Yusha | Android, iOS |
| 2017 | Yo-kai Watch Busters 2 | Nintendo 3DS |
| 2018 | Yo-kai Sangokushi: Kunitori Wars | Android, iOS |
| 2018 | Ni no Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom | Windows, PlayStation 4 |
| 2018 | Snack World: The Dungeon Crawl – Gold | Nintendo Switch |
| 2018 | Yo-kai Watch: Gerapo Rhythm | Android, iOS |
| 2018 | Yo-kai Watch World | Android, iOS |
| 2018 | Fantasy Life Online | Android, iOS |
| 2019 | Yo-kai Watch 4 | Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 |
| 2020 | Yo-kai Watch Jam: Yo-kai Academy Y | Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 |
| 2021 | Ni no Kuni: Cross Worlds | Android, iOS |
| 2021 | Megaton Musashi | Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 |
| 2022 | Megaton Musashi Cross | Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 |
| 2024 | Megaton Musashi W: Wired | Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Windows |
| 2025 | Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time | Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5,Windows, Xbox Series X/S |
| 2025 | Inazuma Eleven: Victory Road | Android, iOS, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows |
| 2025 | Professor Layton and the New World of Steam | Nintendo Switch |
| 2026 | DecaPolice | Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows |
| 2026 | Inazuma Eleven RE | Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows |
| TBA | Holy Horror Mansion | TBA |