Level-5 CEO Akihiro Hino confirmed in a recent Famitsu interview that the Japanese developer administers a formal content knowledge test to employees and rewards high performers with significant salary increases.
The publisher-developer — founded in 1998 and known for franchises such as Professor Layton, Inazuma Eleven, Yo-Kai Watch and the Studio Ghibli-collaborated Ni no Kuni — has released major titles across Nintendo platforms including the Nintendo DS, Nintendo 3DS and, more recently, the Nintendo Switch and the eShop.
In the Famitsu feature, Hino explained that Level-5's hiring and internal selection processes emphasize an applicant’s or employee’s understanding of the company’s philosophy and catalogue as much as technical ability.
According to Hino, the company typically holds a single, final interview for new hires but has participated in earlier selection rounds this year to better evaluate what the company calls “selecting people.” He said Level-5 is stressing philosophy and content knowledge to avoid dismissing candidates who may lack surface-level technical skills but deeply understand the studio’s creative identity.
Paraphrasing Hino’s remarks: Level-5 now tests current staff on the company’s content, and employees who score highly receive a notable pay increase regardless of career level.
Hino added that even new hires are treated equally under this policy, and the company may raise the bonus amount in the future.
Hino framed the expenditure as an efficiency investment: employees who thoroughly know Level-5’s titles can lead projects and reduce the need for additional oversight, whereas those without that knowledge require more support from other team members.
Hino also emphasized that knowledge of and passion for the company’s games are treated as demonstrable skills and part of Level-5’s corporate value.
The interview underscored a personnel strategy that links IP familiarity with responsibility and compensation — a model that aligns creative stewardship with measurable workplace incentives.
For industry observers, Level-5’s approach is a formal recognition of institutional knowledge as a workplace asset.
The company’s catalog — spanning handheld-era hits on Nintendo’s DS and 3DS through later releases on the Switch and digital distribution via the eShop — provides the cultural and design foundation Hino says the studio seeks to preserve through these internal evaluations.
Famitsu published the interview in Japanese; this account summarizes Hino’s statements as presented in the magazine without disclosing the specific monetary figures referenced in the original piece.
The publisher-developer — founded in 1998 and known for franchises such as Professor Layton, Inazuma Eleven, Yo-Kai Watch and the Studio Ghibli-collaborated Ni no Kuni — has released major titles across Nintendo platforms including the Nintendo DS, Nintendo 3DS and, more recently, the Nintendo Switch and the eShop.
In the Famitsu feature, Hino explained that Level-5's hiring and internal selection processes emphasize an applicant’s or employee’s understanding of the company’s philosophy and catalogue as much as technical ability.
According to Hino, the company typically holds a single, final interview for new hires but has participated in earlier selection rounds this year to better evaluate what the company calls “selecting people.” He said Level-5 is stressing philosophy and content knowledge to avoid dismissing candidates who may lack surface-level technical skills but deeply understand the studio’s creative identity.
Paraphrasing Hino’s remarks: Level-5 now tests current staff on the company’s content, and employees who score highly receive a notable pay increase regardless of career level.
Hino added that even new hires are treated equally under this policy, and the company may raise the bonus amount in the future.
Hino framed the expenditure as an efficiency investment: employees who thoroughly know Level-5’s titles can lead projects and reduce the need for additional oversight, whereas those without that knowledge require more support from other team members.
Hino also emphasized that knowledge of and passion for the company’s games are treated as demonstrable skills and part of Level-5’s corporate value.
The interview underscored a personnel strategy that links IP familiarity with responsibility and compensation — a model that aligns creative stewardship with measurable workplace incentives.
For industry observers, Level-5’s approach is a formal recognition of institutional knowledge as a workplace asset.
The company’s catalog — spanning handheld-era hits on Nintendo’s DS and 3DS through later releases on the Switch and digital distribution via the eShop — provides the cultural and design foundation Hino says the studio seeks to preserve through these internal evaluations.
Famitsu published the interview in Japanese; this account summarizes Hino’s statements as presented in the magazine without disclosing the specific monetary figures referenced in the original piece.
