Studio Tour: More Proof that Level-5 is the Hottest Developer in Japan

Studio Tour: More Proof that Level-5 is the Hottest Developer in Japan: "

A couple days ago, I wrote that Level-5 is probably the hottest Japanese developer going at the moment. If I had any doubts, they were dispelled by this glimpse of the company's opulent new Fukuoka studio via their official website.

Seriously, look at this place:

This is what visitors see when they first walk into the studio. My first thought is that it looks like a Roppongi or Shinjuku penthouse club. Is that a full bar in the back?

These are presentation rooms for studio guests. The Spider-Man statue in the corner is the touch that makes it look a bit more like a typical videogame studio.

This isn't a tea house -- it's one of the Level-5's meeting rooms. According to the site, this room is meant to allow employees to relax and discuss their ideas.

The "viewing room" -- again, I'm reminded of nothing so much as an expensive club in the heart of Shinjuku. I'm guessing this is where Level-5 executives sip sake and count the millions they've made from Inazuma Eleven.

The play room...  sorry, "recreation room." The jelly bean cushions make this room look positively Google-esque.The apparatus on the side is a little baffling though -- my first thought was that it looked like an adult slide.

The room where Level-5 presumably screens new cutscenes and other assets from their games. The website calls it the "arena room," but I think it looks like the briefing room from Return of the Jedi. All it needs is a holo-projector and Admiral Ackbar.

The work area for Level-5's employees. It's a fairly normal Japanese office space, but still very nice. It's certainly nicer than where I used to work.

And finally, we have Level-5's motion capture studio. I think this is actually the most telling picture of the bunch, because it shows that Level-5 has the assets needed for big budget current-generation game. A full motion capture studio is a luxury that only a handful of Japanese studios can afford these days. 

As I said in my post from Monday, Level-5 has managed to defy trends to become one of the most successful studios in Japan. If these photos are anything to go by, they are now enjoying the well-earned fruits of their success.

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