Level-5 are the developers behind the most recent JRPG Ni No Kuni 2: Revenant Kingdom, however a report covering a new interview believes that plans for a new game by said company is already in the works.
It’s unclear whether or not Level-5 will stick to what is reported on in the interview or if the company will try something else, but what is known is that Level-5 has plans for its 20th anniversary.
According to the interview that went up on 4gamer.net and translated by Gematsu, it is said that the possibility of Level-5 making an MMORPG-like game could be in the works.
The latter publication site picked up on one of the latest installments of “Harada Kills,” a series of interviews published by the former site, and notes that Bandai Namco producer Katsuhiro Harado sat down and had a chat with Level-5 president and CEO Akihiro Hino.
You can read a section of the interview between Harado and Hino below:
Harada: Don’t you want to make your own MMORPG?
Hino: I do. I always think, If I get a chance I want to make one. However, I still feel the pain of having to cancel True Fantasy Live Online (Xbox).
Harada: Ah, for you that was enough, huh.
Hino: To make an MMORPG, you need a well-oiled company as well as the knowledge and skill to create online games. It’s not enough to just sort of want to make an MMORPG. Back then we weren’t able to adhere to the schedule because we prioritized our mood. Then there were certain things with regards to the platform that ultimately forced us to have to cancel the project.
Even after the cancellation of a project, ideas were still floated around, as mentioned in the following conversation.
Harada: Even after such an experience, you still felt you wanted to make one, then. I don’t know whether or not you still have such a plan, but if you had the investment what kind of theme would you choose? Based on your past work, it seems like it would be a medieval kingdom theme.
Hino: We do have an idea. I’m not sure if we can call it an MMORPG or not, but were plan to make a big title on the same scale as one. Also, since were going into our 20th year, we want to make something we like. If we able to get support from talented people able to do things we can’t, then I think we’ll be able to make it. By the way, the game we’re preparing won’t be fantasy but rather modern day.
Harada: Oh, is it OK for you to be saying that here?
Seeming like dangerous ground to be treading on, Hino continued on and explained:
Hino: It was said somewhere that we’ll make a game for our 20th anniversary, so I think it’s OK. Although we say it’s a game for the 20th anniversary, it won’t come out this year. Rather, we wanted to make the announcement in the year of the anniversary. For example, Ni no Kuni was a 10th anniversary celebration title, but it wasn’t actually released until two years later.
If this is to be believed that Level-5 will make a modern day game that is somewhat on the same scale of an MMORPG, would it be something that you’d be interested to see?
