You may have heard that Yasumi Matsuno, known for his work on Tactics Ogre and Vagrant Story, is now employed at Level 5, developers of the Professor Layton and Inazuma Eleven series. Matsuno moved to Level 5 because he noticed a younger audience attracted to their games, but not his.
He also revealed that he would be making games that were suitable for children. Projects that — for the moment — are smaller in scope. Matsuno specifically pointed out elementary school kids as an audience that would enjoy his next game.
Following this, he posted similar comments on his Facebook page, following which a fan began to publicly lament the fact that he was now employed at Level 5 who, in his opinion, “don’t publish nor develop mature content games,” which he felt was what Matsuno’s most passionate fans expected of him.
Matsuno replied to the comment personally, trying to clear the issue up:
“My purpose means from ‘a child to an adult’ not ‘for the child’. and I think that my style does not change. ‘An attempt is sometimes easier than expected.’ Please wait for the announcement of my project. thx.”
Admittedly, Level 5 do develop very different games from the kind that Matsuno is associated with. Perhaps that’s precisely why Level 5 president, Akihiro Hino, reached out to him.
Food for thought:
Some may not know this, but Yasumi Matsuno also wrote the story for PlatinumGames’ MadWorld on the Wii.
