In a recent chat with 4Gamer, Level-5 CEO Akihiro Hino has looked back at how the game industry has transformed over the last ten years, recalling a time when the studio was releasing big hits year after year across its popular franchises. During the conversation, Hino touched upon the company’s history, and the challenges of today’s game development landscape.
“There was a period when we were putting out new games every single year. Not just Inazuma Eleven, but Yo-kai Watch as well. It felt like a dream, or maybe more like a nightmare (laughs),” Hino remarked, highlighting how higher demands for game quality and production values have greatly impacted development timelines.
“As time went on, the methods for making games and the standards for quality have shifted, and suddenly we found ourselves in the slower rhythm we have today.”
“We’re now in an age where games simply aren’t accepted unless they meet a certain level of quality. I believe every development team is struggling with this,” Hino stated. He also mentioned that, going forward, the company will need to discover ways to streamline development periods more effectively.
Level-5 is no stranger to lengthy development phases and repeated postponements, with a notable instance being the creation of its most recent major release, Inazuma Eleven: Victory Road. Initially revealed in 2016 with a planned launch window of 2018, the game’s production experienced a series of setbacks and even a restart under a new name before finally arriving in August 2025. Other significant Level-5 projects like Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time also encountered similar ongoing delays.
Thankfully, the wait for Victory Road was worthwhile, as the game sold 800,000 copies worldwide from the moment it launched. Now, Level-5 aims to strengthen the franchise’s comeback (something Hino had wanted to execute properly for quite some time) without making fans endure another decade of waiting.
Hino regards the mobile game Inazuma Eleven Cross as a key component of that comeback strategy, and explains releasing it in 2026
was strategically important due to football enthusiasm peaking every four years (a clear nod to the World Cup cycle). It’s said that the studio plans to deliver version updates every 1-3 months, alongside regular features and major updates every six months to build a solid service in Japan before expanding overseas. Hino also noted that this isn’t the final piece of the revival puzzle for the year.
“Naturally, we have no plans of stopping with just Victory Road and Inazuma Eleven Cross. I believe we’ll make another major announcement about Inazuma Eleven within the next year.”