In a recent interview with 4Gamer, Level-5 CEO Akihiro Hino has reflected on how dramatically the game industry has changed in the past decade, pointing to a time when the studio was releasing major titles almost every year across its hit franchises. Talking to the outlet, Hino discussed the company’s past, and the pressures of modern game development.
“There was a time when we were releasing new titles almost every year. Not just Inazuma Eleven, but also Yo-kai Watch. It was a dream-like period, or perhaps a hellish one (laughs),” Hino said, noting how rising expectations for game quality and production standards have significantly affected dev cycles.
“Over time, the way games are made and the level of quality required have changed, and before we knew it, we had ended up with the kind of slower pace we have now.”
“We’ve entered an era where games aren’t accepted as commercial products unless their quality is high enough. I think every developer is finding this difficult,” Hino explained. He also believes that, moving forward, the studio will need to find ways to shorten development periods more efficiently.
Level-5 is not a stranger to prolonged development cycles and continuous delays, and one big example of this is how it handled the production of its latest major title, Inazuma Eleven: Victory Road. Originally announced in 2016 with an initial release window of 2018, the game’s development cycle suffered a series of delays and even a reboot under a different name before finally launching in August 2025. Other major Level-5 properties like Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time faced similar recurring pushbacks.
At least, the wait for Victory Road paid off, with the game selling 800,000 copies globally right out of the gate. Now, Level-5 is looking to solidify the franchise’s revival (something Hino wanted to do properly for a long time) without forcing fans to wait another decade.
Hino considers the mobile title Inazuma Eleven Cross a necessary part of that revival plan, and explains releasing the game in 2026
was strategically important because football excitement peaks every four years (an apparent reference to the World Cup cycle). Apparently, the studio is planning to roll out version updates every 1-3 months, while adding regular features and major updates once every six months to establish a solid service in Japan before expanding overseas. Hino also mentioned that that this is not the end of the revival plan for the year.
“Of course, we have no intention of ending things with just Victory Road and Inazuma Eleven Cross. I think we’ll be able to make another major announcement related to Inazuma Eleven within a year.”
Inazuma Eleven: Victory Road sequel is in the works, Level-5 President Akihiro Hino confirms
