In a surprising twist, Level-5 CEO Akihiro Hino expressed a desire to create more mature video games in the future, possibly including titles with erotic and violent themes. This revelation emerged during a joint interview with Goichi Suda, CEO of Grasshopper Manufacture, a studio known for its edgy titles. Unlike Level-5, which is known for creating family-friendly games like Professor Layton, Yo-Kai Watch, and Inazuma Eleven, this announcement suggests a potential shift in their game development approach.
During the interview with Denfaminicogamer (partly translated by Automaton-Media), Hino discussed his current focus on maintaining Level-5’s established franchises and developing new age-appropriate IPs. However, he also mentioned a personal ambition to explore darker, creative territory.
Hino explained the difference between his creative ambitions and his current duties. He is dedicated to meeting fan expectations for Level-5’s current franchises, but he also has a separate set of unconventional ideas that he hopes to explore in the future.
“If I were to put it in extreme terms, I would go as far as to say that I want to make things like erotic games and 18+ games with violence… I do, there’s an ‘abnormal world’ inside of me, but I’m trying not to go there, only making things from the righteous part of my mind instead. However, deep down, I really want to visit that abnormal world… I want to go that dark, abnormal world, and I think I will definitely end up doing so. Once I feel that Level-5 is stable, and I have the room to make what I want…I will do it (laughs).”
Akihiro Hino
Hino believes there’s great potential in exploring mature game development in the future. He believes that once Level-5 attains a certain level of stability and gains more creative freedom, he can pursue these darker ideas. Hino stated that he wants to delve into that dark, abnormal world and feels confident that he will eventually do so once he perceives Level-15 as stable and has the freedom to create what he wants.
While Hino’s comments show his possible intentions, it’s important to note that this is mainly a personal preference. There hasn’t been an official announcement or confirmation that Level-5 will be actively focusing on mature content in the near future. We’ll have to wait and see if this can really be done.
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