Professor Layton Dev Hoping to Increase American Presence

[Austin MacKenzie]

Professor Layton Dev Hoping to Increase American Presence

Want to see more games like White Knight Chronicles [http://www.amazon.com/Professor-Layton-Diabolical-Box-Nintendo-DS/dp/B002AU0HZQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=videogames&qid=1279575305&sr=1-1]? Your wish has been granted.

Level-5 announced it is working to create a new company presence in America. If you've ever been frustrated hearing about great games that were Japanese exclusives, then this could be good news for you. Want to see an English release of the Level-5 and Studio Ghibli (Spirited Away [http://www.amazon.com/Princess-Mononoke-Animated/dp/B00003CXBK/ref=sr_1_1?s=dvd&ie=UTF8&qid=1279575355&sr=1-1]) collaboration game Ni no Kuni? This is what could make it happen.

Level-5 has worked with other companies for overseas releases, so the formation of the American studio would allow it easier access to the American market. With an American foothold, Level-5 wants to expand its releases overseas.

The announcement, which came as part of a presentation for potential new employees, also touched on the future of Level-5's game library. When answering a question about whether Level-5 will be releasing more PlayStation titles after its large DS library, CEO and founder Akihiro Hino said Level-5 was "...currently producing titles for PS3, Wii and so-forth. (The format, etc.) are unannounced. However, we develop for the DS because we determined that it was the most suitable machine to put out a new title. We've been researching and developing for consoles, but when making a product under our own brand, we must make sure that it is 'a product with a chance of success.' I believe we'll soon be able to announce a new console title."

The products mentioned were said to be Level-5 specific titles such as Professor Layton and Izuma Eleven, ruling out the current potential of games such as Dragon Quest X and White Knight Chronicles 2, which were collaborations with other companies.

Level-5 is ambitiously expanding its holdings in hopes of catering to a wide audience. With Hino's enthusiasm about reaching out to American audiences, it's possible we'll be seeing much more from Level-5 in the coming years.

Source: adriasang


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[DoctorNick]

That's pretty cool, I played Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box awhile back and it was pretty good. I'd be willing to give their other games a try.

 

[Jared]

Try a bigger EU presense too please! =D

 

[Deleted]

Only thing I hated about the game was the art style. But it was a nice game.

 

[Warrior Irme]

Just give me a couple more Professor Layton games while maintaining quality and I am quite the little happy camper. A happy camper with a noobtube looking down a narrow hallway.

 

[Heart of Darkness]

Great! This is simply great. Hopefully this would also mean that the Professor Layton movies would be/are being translated for an American release, too.

[sub][sub]I still need to see Spirited Away, though...[/sub][/sub]

 

[Denmarkian]

WOO!

Give me more games with the charm and art design like Professor Layton!

I need to get Diabolical Box, and Level-5 needs to get the jump on translating Professor Layton and the Time Machine or whatever the third game of the trilogy is.

Honestly, I think I would prefer a copy of Ni No Kuni with subtitles rather than re-dubbed in English.

 

[xyrafhoan]

I heard the sales of Professor Layton have actually been pretty good and their marketing efforts have not gone unnoticed. The Diabolical Box had a great soundtrack and great puzzles, although the ending was a little out of left field. However, this does not diminish my excitement for the Time Machine. I can only hope Level-5 keeps up with the quality releases.

Spoiler

And to this day I still wonder how Don Paolo disguised himself as a petite little girl.

 

[Hithlain]

I never understand why a game company would release games in one country and not another... the market in the US for games is huge.

Think about the piles of money Nintendo could be sitting on if they had released Mother 3. Instead, the internet had to make it by hand so they could play it.

 

[Amnestic]

Just don't forget about your EU customers as well.

I love me some Professor Layton.