The day after Capcom R&D chief Keiji Inafune heaped praise on Level-5, reports have surfaced that his employer and the Professor Layton studio are in a full-blown collaboration. When asked by Japanese business site Diamond Online (translated via the blog Andria Sang) if reports of a joint project were accurate, the Mega Man cocreator did not mince words.
"This rumor is true," Inafune reportedly said. "Right now, the two of us, with our staff, are working together on some truly interesting things. Even though [Level-5 CEO Akihiro] Hino is younger, he's someone I respect. I wanted to try working with him, so I contacted him." No further details about the project--or projects--were made public.
The plaudits for Hino apparently grew even more effusive. "The thing I most respect about Hino is his work ethic," beamed Inafune. "Before I met Hino, I had confidence in the amount of work I was doing, and even thought that maybe I was the hardest working person in the game industry. But after meeting him, I thought, 'I'm probably not number one.'"
Inafune went on to state that sales of Level-5's Professor Layton series have now surpassed 9.5 million units. The puzzle-solving DS franchise was recently updated with last week's North American debut of the critically praised Professor Layton and the Unwound Future. The title was among Bestbuy.com's top 10 best-selling games for its launch week, according to rankings released by the megaretailer.
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