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Hello, this is Akihiro Hino, CEO of LEVEL5. For LEVEL5, 2025 is both a year of challenges and a year of great strides forward: yes, we are set to release three major titles! I know that many of you may be wondering: "Will they really be released on time? Won't there be delays again?" To address these concerns, I wanted to create a space where we could regularly update players on the progress of our game development. Throughout this journey, there will be exciting breakthroughs, but also unexpected obstacles. I want to use this blog to share as much as possible about what's happening behind the scenes—both the good and the challenging. More importantly, I hope that by doing so, we can move forward together with our fans, step by step, toward the completion of all our games.
Of course, not everything can be shared publicly. That said, I still want to convey my thoughts and experiences from the process with everyone—even if only on a personal level. For moments like these, I plan to use this blog as a way to share updates from a more "unofficial" point of view. It might sound a bit strange for a company president to say "unofficial," but the reality is that my perspective as the CEO and my perspective as a creator can sometimes be very different. In such cases, I want to walk that fine line and share as much as I can with our players, making the lead-up to these games exciting rather than just a long wait. I appreciate your support, and I hope you enjoy following along!
Fantasy Life i: A Bold Evolution!
Fantasy Life i is now in its final stage of development! All game data has been completed, and we are currently making the final balance adjustments. Compared to the version shown at Tokyo Game Show 2024, it has become even more fun. After release, I'd love to jump into online play and enjoy it together with everyone! I believe that once you try the full version, you'll find yourself thinking like: "Oh? This is even more fun than I expected!" → "Wait, this is seriously amazing!" → "Wow?! So many things to explore!"
In terms of content volume, this is the largest Fantasy Life game yet in every aspect. I apologize for the delay in the release, but this extra time has allowed us to bring full multi-platform support, Cross-Save (so you can carry your save data across different consoles), and Cross-Play (letting players on different platforms enjoy online multiplayer together). We've also made major UI improvements, ensuring a more polished and seamless experience. Now, we're finally bringing this game to completion in the best possible form. Please look forward to it!
Behind this Project...
In mid-2024, Fantasy Life faced an unexpected challenge. At that time, producer Keiji Inafune left the company, and we had to reassess and restructure the project. Meanwhile, internal test players had given the game harsh evaluations, making it clear that major revisions were necessary. In response, I decided to take on the role of producer, shifting the core development team from Osaka to our headquarters. While the Osaka team had been dedicated from the start, the project evolved into a collective effort across our whole company—with developers from Fukuoka, Tokyo and beyond, we were able to significantly strengthen our development capabilities. This restructuring allowed us to expand the team and create an environment where we could focus on fine-tuning the game's quality right up until the very end.
From that point onward, we undertook a complete overhaul of the game: adding open-world exploration and parkour-style actions, restructuring the system's progression flow, improving the core mechanics, and refining the scenario to be even more emotionally impactful. Thanks to the solid foundation of the game's core mechanics, these additions didn't just fit in—they enhanced what was already great about the game, making the experience significantly more enjoyable. The improvements received high praise from our internal testers too, marking a major milestone: Fantasy Life i was finally nearing completion after its long development journey. For us, watching Tokyo, Osaka, Fukuoka (and Hokkaido, too!) come together as one to push the game's quality to a higher level was a powerful reminder of the true joy in creating a large-scale game. The day that we can deliver the ultimate Fantasy Life experience to all of you is almost here! Get ready for it!
Inazuma Eleven V: Release Date & Final Specs Announcement Coming Soon!
Next up, let's talk about Inazuma Eleven V, our next big release. And honestly, we've gone all out with this one! There are so many features packed into the final version that if we tried to fit them all into a promotional video, it would be way too long. So, we decided to host a special showcase instead. We're calling it "Inazuma Eleven V Heroes Showcase 2025," and it will be streamed on April 11th—which can be read as "Good Eleven Day" (Yo-i Eleven Day) in Japanese, haha! Internally, we originally referred to this as the "Final Specs Presentation," and that's exactly what this showcase is: a full rundown of the official release date and everything included in the final version of Inazuma Eleven V. Don't worry, though, we won't be spoiling the story or any other surprises best experienced through gameplay! Also, pre-orders for certain platforms will become available not long after it. As for the release date, well...let's just say it might slip just a tiny bit due to the ripple effects of Fantasy Life i. I'm sorry. But rest assured, we believe the final date will be one that players can look forward to.
Maybe some of you are thinking: "They've already shown so much in the demo, what else could there possibly be?" To those with such concerns, prepare yourselves to receive a relentless, "training under a waterfall" style barrage of Kinniku Busters! (Anyone get the reference?) We've made major improvements to the gameplay systems revealed in the 2024 demo, refining every aspect so that both competitive players, who love the thrill of matches, and players who want to immerse themselves in character growth and story will be fully satisfied. Taking all that into account, Inazuma Eleven V is now officially the largest title in LEVEL5's history. The final stages of development involve a truly massive workload, but the team is tackling it with full force, confident that this game will make a real impact both as an RPG and as an online competitive experience. We're giving it everything we've got to bring this new era of Inazuma Eleven to life—so please hang in there just a little longer! Thank you!
View at TechPowerUp Main Site | Source
Of course, not everything can be shared publicly. That said, I still want to convey my thoughts and experiences from the process with everyone—even if only on a personal level. For moments like these, I plan to use this blog as a way to share updates from a more "unofficial" point of view. It might sound a bit strange for a company president to say "unofficial," but the reality is that my perspective as the CEO and my perspective as a creator can sometimes be very different. In such cases, I want to walk that fine line and share as much as I can with our players, making the lead-up to these games exciting rather than just a long wait. I appreciate your support, and I hope you enjoy following along!
Fantasy Life i: A Bold Evolution!
Fantasy Life i is now in its final stage of development! All game data has been completed, and we are currently making the final balance adjustments. Compared to the version shown at Tokyo Game Show 2024, it has become even more fun. After release, I'd love to jump into online play and enjoy it together with everyone! I believe that once you try the full version, you'll find yourself thinking like: "Oh? This is even more fun than I expected!" → "Wait, this is seriously amazing!" → "Wow?! So many things to explore!"
In terms of content volume, this is the largest Fantasy Life game yet in every aspect. I apologize for the delay in the release, but this extra time has allowed us to bring full multi-platform support, Cross-Save (so you can carry your save data across different consoles), and Cross-Play (letting players on different platforms enjoy online multiplayer together). We've also made major UI improvements, ensuring a more polished and seamless experience. Now, we're finally bringing this game to completion in the best possible form. Please look forward to it!
Behind this Project...
In mid-2024, Fantasy Life faced an unexpected challenge. At that time, producer Keiji Inafune left the company, and we had to reassess and restructure the project. Meanwhile, internal test players had given the game harsh evaluations, making it clear that major revisions were necessary. In response, I decided to take on the role of producer, shifting the core development team from Osaka to our headquarters. While the Osaka team had been dedicated from the start, the project evolved into a collective effort across our whole company—with developers from Fukuoka, Tokyo and beyond, we were able to significantly strengthen our development capabilities. This restructuring allowed us to expand the team and create an environment where we could focus on fine-tuning the game's quality right up until the very end.
From that point onward, we undertook a complete overhaul of the game: adding open-world exploration and parkour-style actions, restructuring the system's progression flow, improving the core mechanics, and refining the scenario to be even more emotionally impactful. Thanks to the solid foundation of the game's core mechanics, these additions didn't just fit in—they enhanced what was already great about the game, making the experience significantly more enjoyable. The improvements received high praise from our internal testers too, marking a major milestone: Fantasy Life i was finally nearing completion after its long development journey. For us, watching Tokyo, Osaka, Fukuoka (and Hokkaido, too!) come together as one to push the game's quality to a higher level was a powerful reminder of the true joy in creating a large-scale game. The day that we can deliver the ultimate Fantasy Life experience to all of you is almost here! Get ready for it!
Inazuma Eleven V: Release Date & Final Specs Announcement Coming Soon!
Next up, let's talk about Inazuma Eleven V, our next big release. And honestly, we've gone all out with this one! There are so many features packed into the final version that if we tried to fit them all into a promotional video, it would be way too long. So, we decided to host a special showcase instead. We're calling it "Inazuma Eleven V Heroes Showcase 2025," and it will be streamed on April 11th—which can be read as "Good Eleven Day" (Yo-i Eleven Day) in Japanese, haha! Internally, we originally referred to this as the "Final Specs Presentation," and that's exactly what this showcase is: a full rundown of the official release date and everything included in the final version of Inazuma Eleven V. Don't worry, though, we won't be spoiling the story or any other surprises best experienced through gameplay! Also, pre-orders for certain platforms will become available not long after it. As for the release date, well...let's just say it might slip just a tiny bit due to the ripple effects of Fantasy Life i. I'm sorry. But rest assured, we believe the final date will be one that players can look forward to.
- Stay tuned!
Maybe some of you are thinking: "They've already shown so much in the demo, what else could there possibly be?" To those with such concerns, prepare yourselves to receive a relentless, "training under a waterfall" style barrage of Kinniku Busters! (Anyone get the reference?) We've made major improvements to the gameplay systems revealed in the 2024 demo, refining every aspect so that both competitive players, who love the thrill of matches, and players who want to immerse themselves in character growth and story will be fully satisfied. Taking all that into account, Inazuma Eleven V is now officially the largest title in LEVEL5's history. The final stages of development involve a truly massive workload, but the team is tackling it with full force, confident that this game will make a real impact both as an RPG and as an online competitive experience. We're giving it everything we've got to bring this new era of Inazuma Eleven to life—so please hang in there just a little longer! Thank you!
View at TechPowerUp Main Site | Source
