Level-5 News Articles
Thursday11th Jan 2018
News The Food-Obsessed RPG The Snack World: Trejarers To Cook Up A Storm On Switch
The cross-media hit makes the leap from 3DS to Switch
When it comes to zany, oddball ideas, Japan's gaming industry has the market sewn up. Take The Snack World: Trejarers, a cutesy RPG boasting an unhealthy obsession with foodstuffs and smartphones, which has just been announced for Nintendo Switch in Japan. Swapping out a traditional fantasy...
Monday11th Sep 2017
News Yo-Kai Watch Busters 2 Will Come In Two Flavours Later This Year
Yum!
It has been revealed that Yo-Kai Watch spin-off Yo-Kai Watch Busters 2: Hihou Densetsu Banbarayaa will be released in two versions this December. The October issue of Japanese publication CoroCoro has stated that Hihou Densetsu Banbarayaa will come in "Sword" and "Magnum" versions. Little information exists regarding exactly how...
Thursday17th Aug 2017
News Layton's Mystery Journey: Katrielle and the Millionaires' Conspiracy Hits Europe on 6th October
Nintendo to publish in EU, daily puzzles to be added
Layton's Mystery Journey: Katrielle and the Millionaires' Conspiracy is a welcome return for the classic series formula, albeit we have a new protagonist and a focus on light-hearted storytelling and a push to keep the focus on puzzles. Already confirmed for the Fall season in North America,...
Tuesday1st Aug 2017
News Yo-Kai Watch 2: Psychic Specters Launches on 29th September
Check out the new trailer, too
The 3DS just keeps right on chugging along with new releases such as the Metroid: Samus Returns, Monster Hunter Stories, and Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon to look forward to in the coming months. That last one, of course, has competition with
Thursday13th Jul 2017
News Yo-Kai Watch 2: Psychic Specters Haunts Europe This Autumn
12 new quests and over 300 playable Yo-Kai
Nintendo has confirmed that it is bringing Yo-Kai Watch 2: Psychic Specters to Europe this Autumn, bringing it in line with North America. The game is the third version of Yo-Kai Watch 2, following on from Bony Spirits
Thursday22nd Jun 2017
That's one puzzle solved
It's been too long since we last had a Professor Layton game, and though that era in the series has passed we do have Layton's Mystery Journey: Katrielle and the Millionaires' Conspiracy to look forward to. The good news is that it's not too far away, with Nintendo of America confirming that it'll arrive in the region...
Thursday15th Jun 2017
News The Hybrid Nature Of Switch Is Causing Level-5 Headaches With Its Next Layton Adventure
Better Layton than never?
When you say the name "Level-5" a whole host of games might spring to mind, but for many people the studio will forever be associated with the best-selling Professor Layton series, which began life on the Nintendo DS. The franchise has been exclusive to portable devices ever since, and the latest entry - Layton's Mystery...
News Mighty No. 9 Dev Comcept Acquired By Level-5, 3DS Version Is Still Coming
"The possibilities are limitless here"
Mighty No. 9 studio Comcept has been acquired by Level-5 - custodians of the Professor Layton and Yo-Kai Watch franchises - to create a new company named Level-5 Comcept. This will be an entirely new studio built upon the foundations of Comcept’s existing staff, which currently consists of about 15...
Friday9th Jun 2017
News Yo-Kai Watch Season 2 Will Be Streamed On YouTube Kids In The UK
Spooky
VIZ Media Europe has confirmed that 26 episodes of Yo-Kai Watch season 2 will be made available for streaming via YouTube Kids in the UK. Each week during June a playlist of seven new episodes will go live, with the first going up on June 9th. Pascal J. Bonnet, Executive Director, VIZ Media Europe commented: We are very glad to partner up...
Thursday8th Jun 2017
News Go On A Mystery Journey To Find The Layton Café At E3 This Year
Grab a selfie with Hershel and Katrielle
If you are lucky enough to be attending E3 next week in Los Angeles, then why not take part in a Professor Layton themed mystery adventure, which the lovely folks at LEVEL-5 have prepared in order to celebrate the arrival of Layton's Mystery Journey: Katrielle and the Millionaires' Conspiracy later this...
Tuesday23rd May 2017
News Level-5 Is Working On At Least One Nintendo Switch Game
Yokai Watch? Layton? Ni no Kuni?
With E3 right round the corner it's fair to speculate about what new titles we'll see at the show, and Level-5 has set chins wagging by confirming that it has at least one Switch game in development. The studio - best known for Ni no Kuni, Professor Layton and the Yo-kai Watch series -...
Tuesday28th Mar 2017
News Yo-Kai Watch Wibble Wobble Getting European Release Ahead of IP's 3DS Sequel
Get out the tablet
Due to the perils of localisation Yo-Kai Watch 2: Bony Spirits & Fleshy Souls is only now approaching its EU release, due in the region on 7th April. Level 5 - and to a degree Nintendo - plan to give the sequel and IP an extra push with a mobile release the week before. Yo-Kai Watch Wibble Wobble is heading to European phones...
Thursday2nd Feb 2017
News Yo-kai Watch 2: Bony Spirits & Fleshy Souls Finally Get a European Release Date
And keep the weird names
Yo-kai Watch 2: Bony Spirits & Fleshy Souls arrived in North America last Fall / Autumn, but have taken a little longer to make their way to Europe. Their arrival is now nailed down, however, as the dual release will hit stores in the region on 7th April. Intriguingly, Europe was highlighted as a successful territory...
Thursday15th Dec 2016
Video Embrace the Weirdness of Snack World, Level-5's Next Big Thing
Deliciously strange
Level-5 has been a successful company for quite some time, but the viral success of Yo-kai Watch in Japan took it to another level. Though the company had previously dabbled with 'cross-media' franchises with the likes of Professor Layton and Inazuma Eleven, the idea's been exploited to the full with the Pokémon challenger. The...
Wednesday23rd Nov 2016
News Level-5 is Running a Black Friday Sale on the North American 3DS eShop
Up to sixty percent off
'Tis the season yet again for ravenous shoppers of all kinds to brave the hordes in search of great deals on random stuff. Black Friday is just a few days away, and every day the temptations grow stronger as more companies show their hand for the shopping holiday. Granted, there's nothing wrong with staying at home and...
Monday31st Oct 2016
News Level-5 Planning To Support Nintendo Switch But Won't Have Any Games At Launch
"We'll work with it as soon as we figure out how to take advantage of it"
Level-5 CEO Akihiro Hino has confirmed that the studio plans to make games for the Nintendo Switch, but admits that he's still not sure how to make the most of the console's unique setup. Level-5 has been a staunch supporter of Nintendo systems in the past, creating the...
Friday14th Oct 2016
News Yo-kai Watch 3: Sukiyaki Confirmed for Japan
Another souped up release
Yo-kai Watch 3: Sushi / Tempura arrived in Japan during the Summer, and though the latest dual release fell short of the launch sales of its predecessor, it was nevertheless another success for Level-5. The developer and publisher isn't planning to slow down with the series, either. Copying the strategy from Yo-kai Watch...
Thursday1st Sep 2016
News Demo Of Yo-Kai Watch 2 Arrives On The North American eShop Soon
Try before you buy
If you live in North America and were a fan of the original Yo-Kai Watch game on the 3DS, you'll probably already be aware the dual release sequel launches later this month on the 30th September. In the latest Nintendo Direct it was also revealed a free demo for Yo-Kai Watch 2: Bony Spirits & Fleshy Souls will arrive on the...
Wednesday17th Aug 2016
News Level-5 CEO on Producing Successful Cross-Media Projects
Yo-Kai Watch wasn't just a fluke
Level-5 is a company that has become increasingly more relevant and prolific over the years, as it's procedurally added more and more successful franchises to its portfolio. If you notice, most of the company's current projects exist in multiple forms, with cartoons, games, toys, and more all contributing to the...
Tuesday16th Aug 2016
News Yo-Kai Watch 2 Won't Be Spooking Europe Until Next Year
Delays for the deceased
Yo-Kai Watch 2 comes out in North America and Australia this October, but it has now been revealed that European players will have to wait until Spring 2017 to get their hands on the game. The news was confirmed today by the official Yo-Kai Watch Twitter account: Europe had to endure a delay for the first
Wednesday27th Jul 2016
News Level-5 Confirms New Inazuma Eleven Outing And NFC "Eleven Band" Accessory
Could be NX-bound
During Level-5 Vision 2016 the esteemed Japanese studio showed the trailer for the anime pilot episode of Inazuma Eleven Ares, the next entry in the popular soccer-based RPG franchise. The title takes place after the events of the very first Inazuma Eleven game. Three main protagonists are included this time around - Ryouhei...
News Yo-kai Watch 3 and New 3DS Continue to Lead the Way in Japan
Tasty results
It's Japanese Media Create charts time, as we see what's hot and what's not in Nintendo's homeland. It's another good week for Level-5 and the 3DS, with a handful of new releases on Sony hardware arriving in the top 20. Dual release Yo-kai Watch 3: Sushi / Tempura comfortably retains top spot, albeit not quite living up to the sales...
News Level-5 Shows More of The Snack World and Unveils Cross-Media Strategy
Heading to 3DS in Japan in July 2017
With Yo-kai Watch established as a major cross-media money-spinner for Level-5 - with its TV show, toys, video games and assorted merchandise - the company is plotting its next major project that'll employ a similar strategy. We've known about The Snack World for a little while, but the recent Level-5 Vision 2016...
News Megaton Musashi Boasts Giant Morphing Mechs And Cunning Cross-Media Marketing
Pacific Rim for kids?
Level-5 has lifted the lid on its next "cross media" property, Megaton Musashi. Set in a universe where aliens have decimated 90 percent of the human population, this new venture will take the same approach as Level-5's other multimedia projects. There will be a 3DS game, smartphone title, anime show and plenty of merchandise,...
News Level-5 Announces Lady Layton, Coming To Nintendo 3DS In 2017
Also coming to smartphones
Level-5 has confirmed the next title in the Professor Layton series, Lady Layton. The game will be coming to 3DS and smartphones in 2017, and looks set to continue the puzzle-solving tradition of the original Layton outings. The trailer above shows off a lot of animated content and a little of the smartphone game, which...
Tuesday26th Jul 2016
News Aussie Yo-Kai Watch 2 Rating Builds Hype For European Release
He's got a Yo-Kai Watch
Yo-Kai Watch 2 has already been confirmed for a North American release, but now we have the first confirmation that the ghost-catching title will also be making its way to Europe. The game's two versions -
News Level-5 Trademark Filings in Europe Suggest Future Projects
Lady Layton, eh?
About a month ago, we reported on the news that a new, mainstream Professor Layton game would be revealed on 27th July. Ever since, nothing else has surfaced surrounding the future title, but with Level-5's annual Vision event just days away, some new information has recently come to light. The company recently filed some...
Thursday21st Jul 2016
News Yo-kai Watch 3 and New 3DS LL Lead The Charts in Japan
Level-5's latest release struggles to match its predecessors, however
This week's Media Create chart results for Japan tell an interesting tale of one enormous hit overshadowing a number of older, struggling titles. Only two games managed to sell unit numbers above five figures, with Nintendo being one beneficiary of the week's one smash hit...
Saturday25th Jun 2016
News New Professor Layton Title to be Revealed on 27th July
A real one, not that weird Layton 7 game...
Level-5 is currently gearing up for its Vision 2016 event on 27th July, during which it'll show off new titles that are on the way. It'll be worth following closely, too, based on details shared by CEO Akihiro Hino in a preview stream. He confirmed that a new Inazuma Eleven game will be shown, which is...
Sunday12th Jun 2016
News Yo-kai Watch Sold Less Than Half a Million Units in North America
CEO still believes the franchise will "bloom like a flower" in the west
The Yo-Kai Watch series was quite a phenomenon in Japan, with a multi-pronged media blitz spanning video games, cartoons, and toys; leading the series to even eclipse Pokémon in some respects. Naturally, Level-5 was keen to bring the franchise to the West in hopes of there...
