Level-5 (known for the Professor Layton, Yo-kai Watch, Ni no Kuni, and Inazuma Eleven game series) have reportedly ceased operations in North America.
GamesIndustry.biz reports “according to multiple sources familiar with the matter,” that the Level-5 International America and Level-5 Abby offices had begun “winding down” operations since mid-2019. In July 2019, Level-5 International American had announced it was closing its design department, but denied it was a “large-scale restructuring.”
The “winding down” included laying off the majority of staff (an estimated ten staff per-office). In the Level-5 Abby offices, as few as one or two employees remained. According to the sources, Level-5 Abby’s COO and head of operations Yukari Hayakawa left the company in 2020, despite her job still reportedly being on her LinkedIn page.
While the sources said no reason was given for the lay-offs, those “connected” to Level-5 Abby state employees were “given every indication” the studio was shutting. One source reportedly “suggested that there were currently no concrete plans for any more Level-5 games to be released outside of Japan.”
Level-5’s last western released title was Snack World: The Dungeon Crawl – Gold for Nintendo Switch on April 12th, 2018. The last major console release for the company in Japan was Yo-kai Watch Jam: Yo-kai Academy Y (August 13th, 2020 on Nintendo Switch, October 29th on PlayStation 4).
The studio plans to release Ni no Kuni: Cross Worlds in 2020 for Japan (on Android and iOS), Inazuma Eleven: Great Road of Heroes in 2021 (Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Android, and iOS), Megaton Musashi (coming soon to Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4), and Ushiro (coming soon to Nintendo Switch)
Other games released after April 2018 in Japan include Yo-kai Watch: Gerapo Rhythm, Yo-kai Watch World, Fantasy Life Online- all for Android and iOS. None of the above titles (including those in the prior paragraph) have been confirmed for a western release. While Yo-Kai Watch 4 was announced to be heading to the west after its launch in 2019, no new information surfaced after that.
GamesIndustry.biz state they reached out to Level-5, Level-5 International America, Level-5 Abby, and Hayakawa. They recieved no reply from any, despite using email and phone.
Image: Wikipedia
