Recent reports indicate that Level-5 could potentially be making a comeback to the global market. For those unfamiliar with the name, Level-5 Inc. is a well-known video game developer and publisher company based in Fukuoka, Japan that was established by Akihiro Hino in October 1998. Since its founding, the company has enjoyed immense success, creating and releasing a number of hugely popular video games. Some of its most popular titles include the Professor Layton series, Dragon Quest series, Ni no Kuni series, and Yo-kai Watch series.
In the year 2020, it was reported that Level-5 International and its spin-off, Abby, had ceased all of their operations in North America, and no video games created by the company had been released outside of Japan since then. Evidently, several titles have been produced in the span of the last couple of years such as Yo-kai Watch 4, Inazuma Eleven: Victory Road of Heroes, and Megaton Musashi X; however, these releases were restricted to Japan, in contrast to prior installments which had seen global distribution.
Now, it appears that the highly-acclaimed game development studio, Level-5, is attempting to re-enter the global market, as evidenced by a job listing posted on its official website for a "Rights Business Representative" that possesses an exceptional command of the English language. The post further specifies that successful candidates will be expected to manage business operations, interact with international counterparts, and develop strategies regarding rights.
People residing outside of Japan are eligible to apply for the position, provided they have a sound grasp of both English and Japanese, so they can effectively converse in either language. This is undoubtedly an incredibly exciting development for both the gaming industry and the legion of dedicated Level-5 fans. What is even more exciting is the news that Level-5 is currently creating a secret title, in addition to the long-awaited Inazuma Eleven: Victory Road of Heroes which is due to launch this year.
There’s no denying that globalization of the game industry is challenging; nevertheless, it has become a major blessing to the industry, enabling a wide array of games to be accessible to people from all corners of the world. This has in turn led to increased sales and revenue for game developers and publishers. In addition, globalization has also helped to foster a sense of community among gamers, as they are now able to connect with one another and share their passion for gaming on a global scale. Hopefully, Ni No Kuni developer Level-5 will be successful in its attempt to expand its business operations globally this time around.
Source: Level5
