In a recent Famitsu interview, Level-5 president and CEO Akihiro Hino revealed a few secrets about the company’s workplace culture. One of these secrets involves conducting “knowledge quizzes” related to the company’s content among employees. Those who get high scores on these quizzes receive a pay raise, regardless of their mileage.
While the exact amount was disclosed only to Famitsu, the interviewers were astonished by the figure, and when Hino mentioned further plans to increase it, they said it was the kind of money that can have a huge impact on employee motivation.
Explaining the origin of this unusual practice, Hino says that through his own experience making games, he has come to realize that entrusting responsibility to people highly knowledgeable about the subject matter is crucial. “If their knowledge is insufficient, we’ll need other team members to support them or review their work. On the other hand, if they do have that knowledge, they can take the lead and even streamline the workflow. In other words, I consider a person’s knowledge of and passion for the company’s games to be a genuine skill,” he says. Addressing the shocked reactions to the salary raises he mentioned, Hino says the efficiency Level-5 gains in exchange far outweighs the cost.
Before you go handing your resume and showing off your Dark Cloud synthesis skills, Hino says that Level-5 isn’t forcing expansion. While the company is currently increasing the size of its Osaka offices (one of its three hubs, alongside its Fukuoka HQ and Tokyo offices), it has become more selective when choosing employees, valuing not just talent and motivation, but candidates that have a genuine love of gaming and Level-5’s franchises. Hino, who took part exclusively in final interviews, has recently become more involved from the very beginning of the hiring process to ensure new hires are chosen for the right values and skills.
