Level-5 CEO Akihiro Hino has opened up about how much the game industry has shifted over the years, reflecting on a time when the studio was pumping out major titles nearly every year and how that pace is now nearly impossible to maintain.

In a recent interview with 4Gamer, Hino looked back on what he described as both a dream-like and grueling stretch for the company. “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),” he said.

That era is long gone, and Hino points to rising quality standards as the main reason. “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,” he explained. He added that the bar for what players consider an acceptable commercial release has gone up significantly across the whole industry. “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.”

Level-5’s own track record is a clear example of this reality. The studio’s latest major release, Inazuma Eleven: Victory Road, was first announced back in 2016 with a planned release window of 2018. The game went through several delays and was even rebooted under a different name before it finally launched in August 2025. Other Level-5 titles like Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time also faced repeated pushbacks over the years.

Despite the long wait, Victory Road landed well with players, selling 800,000 copies globally at launch. With the franchise back on its feet, Hino said the goal now is to keep the momentum going without putting fans through another decade-long wait. He also acknowledged that the studio needs to find smarter ways to shorten development timelines going forward.