While Level-5 isn’t exactly a household name themselves yet, they’ve been involved in the development of many well-known titles. From homegrown franchises like Professor Layton, Yo-Kai Watch, and Inazuma Eleven, to collaborations like Dragon Quest 8 ($19.99) and Dragon Quest 9, they’ve gained quite a successful reputation over the years. They’re no stranger to mobile gaming, either, though most of their smartphone games have only seen releases in the Japanese market. So far, we’ve only seen Layton Brothers Mystery Room (Free), Yo-Kai Watch Wibble Wobble (Free), and Liberation Maiden ($2.99) internationally. Hopefully, that will change, because it looks like Level-5 has some big plans for mobile.
In an interview published today at Nikkei Trendy Net, Level-5 boss Akihiro Hino made a stronger commitment to releasing mobile games. He believes that the primary players of Level-5’s games, Japanese children, are drifting away from the Nintendo 3DS and embracing mobile platforms, and he doesn’t plan to be left holding the bag. As such, he says that he would like to see smartphone versions of every future Level-5 release, even their console games. Before you get too excited, he was quick to add that he felt the smartphone versions would need to be slightly different from the others. I want to believe he’s not talking about turning them into free-to-play gatcha-fests, but I’ve never been great at self-delusion.
Whatever they turn out to be, it’s safe to say we’ll be seeing a lot more of Jibanyan, Whisper, and the rest of the Yo-Kai Watch gang over the next few years. Beyond that, it’s hard to guess which titles Hino was talking about. Inazuma Eleven seems like a smart choice, and it’s probable that there are some further plans for Fantasy Life, as well. Dare we dream of something related to Ni no Kuni 2? I suppose we’ll have to wait and see what the future holds, but it’s not surprising to see a company that has done major business in Japan on dedicated handhelds eyeing up bigger mobile plans. I doubt Level-5 will be the last, either.
Source: Nikkei Trendy Net via NeoGAF
