Professor Layton studio CEO says he wants to make erotic and 18+ violent games

Level-5 founder and CEO Akihiro Hino has said he wants to make erotic and violent games one day, something his studio certainly isn’t known for.

Since its inception 25 years ago, Level-5 has found success with the Professor Layton, Inazuma Eleven, Ni no Kuni and Yo-kai Watch series, all of which are considered family-friendly.

However, in a new interview with Japanese publication Denfaminicogamer, Hino sais he would like to make something more mature one day.

The interview was released to celebrate the 25th anniversary of both Level-5 and Grasshopper Manufacture, and so had Hino in conversation with Grasshopper CEO Goichi Suda (aka Suda51).

At one point, Hino said he admires Suda’s work, saying that “creators who can release such edgy titles into the world are amazing” (as translated by Automaton).

He then said he has his own plans for a similarly mature game, but isn’t currently able to do so because of his current situation at Level-5.

“If I were to put it in extreme terms, I would go as far as to say that I want to make things like erotic games and 18+ games with violence,” he said, reportedly laughing.

Suda then Hino if he had any such ideas “on stock” in his mind, to which he replied that he does.

“There’s an ‘abnormal world’ inside of me,” he explained, “but I’m not trying to go there, [and am] only making things from the righteous part of my mind instead. However, deep down I really want to visit that abnormal world.

Hino also suggested that he would attempt to make such a game when the time is right.

“I want to go that dark, abnormal world, and I think I will definitely end up doing so,” he said. “Once I feel that Level-5 is stable, and I have the room to make what I want, I will do it.”

Level-5 is currently working, among other things, on the return of the Professor Layton series. Professor Layton and the New World of Steam is set to release in 2025.