Level-5 (company)
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Native name
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株式会社レベルファイブ |
|---|---|
| Kabushiki gaisha | |
| Industry | Video game industry |
| Founded | October 1998 |
| Headquarters | Fukuoka, Japan |
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Key people
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Akihiro Hino (CEO and President) |
| Products |
Dark Cloud series Professor Layton series Inazuma Eleven series Little Battlers Experience series Yo-kai Watch series Ni no Kuni series |
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Number of employees
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280 (September 2015) |
| Website | level5ia |
Level-5 Inc. (株式会社レベルファイブ Kabushiki-gaisha Reberu Faibu?) is a Japanese video game developer and publisher based in Fukuoka, Japan, best known for their Professor Layton, Inazuma Eleven, Ni no Kuni, and Yo-kai Watch franchises, among others. The company, which employs around 280 individuals, was founded in October 1998 by Akihiro Hino, after he departed from the now defunct Japanese developer 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. In 2013, Level-5 was one of the ten largest video game companies in Japan, where it held a 3.2% market share.
Level-5 was established in October 1998 by Akihiro Hino and his development team at Riverhillsoft, following the release of OverBlood 2 in 1998. They had left so that they could continue to focus on creating 3D games. 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.
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