News
LEVEL-5 Vision 2016
July 27, in the year of our Lord 2016 --
LEVEL-5 Inc. held an event in Tokyo to announce upcoming titles
-- including new installments in the PROFESSOR LAYTON™ and
INAZUMA ELEVEN™ franchises and new cross-media titles: The Snack
World and Megaton Musashi.
“LEVEL-5 Vision 2016: New Heroes” has introduced multiple new
titles with the focus on heroic characters -- including:
- Lady Layton: The Millionaire Ariadone’s Conspiracy (PROFESSOR
LAYTON™ series)
- The Snack World (LEVEL-5’s fourth cross-media project)
- Inazuma Eleven Ares (INAZUMA ELEVEN™ series)
- Megaton Musashi (LEVEL-5’s fifth cross-media project)
LEVEL-5 will continue its development as an entertainment
company focusing not only on games but on broader entertainment
franchises in and outside of Japan. Here are brief descriptions
of each new title announced at “LEVEL-5 Vision 2016”:
LADY LAYTON: THE MILLIONAIRE ARIADONE’S CONSPIRACY As one of
LEVEL-5’s masterpieces, the PROFESSOR LAYTON™ series of puzzle
adventure games has sold more than 15.5 million units worldwide
to date. Its newest official sequel, Lady Layton: The
Millionaire Ariadone’s Conspiracy -- available on Nintendo
3DS/Android/iOS -- was announced to be released in Spring 2017
in Japan. Not only will the main character switch from
“Professor Layton” (Hershel Layton) to “Kat” (Katrielle Layton),
many of its characters will be brand new. The story will focus
less on dynamic problem-solving and more on solving multiple
mystery cases observed in the everyday lives of Londoners, which
will bring a faster tempo and more comical tone to the series.
It will be more familiar -- and funnier -- than ever, while
maintaining an adventurous quality. The creators of the puzzles
and brain-teasers, the core element of the series, will also be
new. Please look forward to the new PROFESSOR LAYTON™ series,
targeting a Western release in 2017.
THE SNACK WORLD
The Snack World™, LEVEL-5’s fourth cross-media project, will be
released on Android/iOS devices in April 2017 -- and on the
Nintendo 3DS platform in July 2017. As its key ‘hyper-casual
fantasy’ concept suggests, The Snack World takes place in a
typical RPG fantasy setting with weapon shops and inns appearing
here and there, while such modern conveniences as corner stores,
vending machines, and cafés also exist. Along with the game
release, The Snack World TV series will start airing in a
primetime slot on TV Tokyo starting in April 2017. The magical
adventure of Chup, the main character of the show, and his
comrades will be depicted in high-quality, full CG animation. In
addition, its monthly serial comic strips will be published by
Shogakukan on Coro Coro Comics, and its signature toys -- many
of which were showcased at “LEVEL-5 Vision 2016” -- have been
developed by Takara Tomy. As a large cross-media initiative, The
Snack World will be rolled-out through other entertainment
franchises, too. Its overseas expansion will be handled by
LEVEL-5’s subsidiary, LEVEL-5 abby -- though this rollout
schedule is yet to be determined.
INAZUMA ELEVEN ARES
LEVEL-5 has also announced Inazuma Eleven Ares -- the seventh
title in the INAZUMA ELEVEN™ series, which has sold over 8
million units worldwide to date. The story in Inazuma Eleven
Ares will take place right after the series’ first title,
Inazuma Eleven, and the story will be developed as a parallel
world story. Although all 11 members of Raimon Middle School
football team are new characters, some popular characters from
previous series also appear in the trailer that was shown at
“LEVEL-5 Vision 2016” event. It was also revealed that there
will be three protagonists, and the story will be developed from
three different points of view -- and there will be a new system
known as a ‘sponsorship’ system, where corporate entities are
entitled to become official sponsors of the football teams; this
will be one of the key drivers of the story. As a part of this
cross-media project, its TV series will air in Summer 2017,
followed by its game release, toy release, and more. Its rollout
plan outside of Japan is yet to be determined.
MEGATON MUSASHI
Following YO-KAI WATCH™ and The Snack World™, Megaton Musashi
was announced as the fifth cross-media project for LEVEL-5. Its
concept is ‘the combination of classic robot stories and school
mysteries.’ While action battles among robots are featured,
there will be a thrilling suspense-drama in the schools the
protagonists attend. Unlike previous cross-media titles where
the same or similar story is rolled out across different media
platforms, LEVEL-5 will try a new method of multiple points of
view for each platform. By doing so, one big story will be told
through different characters, so audiences can either enjoy each
individual narrative on its own or the entire story through all
platforms. Bandai has already been chosen as its master toy
partner in Japan, and LEVEL-5 is looking to create another
strong entertainment ecosystem. Its rollout plan outside of
Japan is yet to be determined.
The following titles were also announced, but there is no plan
to release them outside of Japan as of yet:
・Otomé HERO (TBD)
・YO-KAI WATCH™ for Smartphones (TBD)
・YO-KAI DAIJITEN (TBD)
・YO-KAI WATCH™ Geraporhythm (TBD)
・FANTASY LIFE 2 Twin Moons and the Sacred Village (TBD)