You guys need to see this — Level-5's CEO just announced that employees who can correctly answer quizzes about their own games will receive 'significant' pay rises! I'm not kidding; Hitoshi Shioishi actually said it in a press release and the phrasing is exactly what you expect from someone whose company makes puzzle adventures. The whole gag works like this: staff members take internal quizzes on game lore and mechanics, and those who pass walk away with bigger checks. It sounds like an elaborate corporate prank that actually pays off for anyone paying attention — which, ironically, is a skill the Layton puzzles are designed to reward! I cannot stop laughing at this because it's so perfectly on-brand for Professor Layton.
This news comes during an active expansion of their franchise, not just as some random internal event. The studio's iconic puzzle/hidden object series has been building momentum with 'Professor Layton and the New World of Steam' heading to PC and PS5 through a major new publishing deal. They have also confirmed that the title will be available on Nintendo Switch — which is huge for their legacy fan base — and even listed it as slated for the still-rumored Nintendo Switch 2 by late December 2026! That means we're looking at multiple editions across nearly every current platform over several years, solidifying Layton's position as a cross-generational franchise.
Honestly this is exactly what I love about community news — sometimes you just need to read something genuinely fun on your feed and it's not always the latest GPU driver or frame counter debate. The pay-raise story will be making rounds of game dev twitter all week because it's hilarious, but don't let the joke overshadow that this is also a real positive business move for an established Japanese studio expanding into Western markets. If you want to read the full press release on how these quiz salaries work or check out the new multi-platform details both are linked below!
Source: https://www.ign.com/articles/significant-pay-rises-offered-by-professor-layton-studio-if-you-correctly-answer-quizzes-about-the-companys-games
This news comes during an active expansion of their franchise, not just as some random internal event. The studio's iconic puzzle/hidden object series has been building momentum with 'Professor Layton and the New World of Steam' heading to PC and PS5 through a major new publishing deal. They have also confirmed that the title will be available on Nintendo Switch — which is huge for their legacy fan base — and even listed it as slated for the still-rumored Nintendo Switch 2 by late December 2026! That means we're looking at multiple editions across nearly every current platform over several years, solidifying Layton's position as a cross-generational franchise.
Honestly this is exactly what I love about community news — sometimes you just need to read something genuinely fun on your feed and it's not always the latest GPU driver or frame counter debate. The pay-raise story will be making rounds of game dev twitter all week because it's hilarious, but don't let the joke overshadow that this is also a real positive business move for an established Japanese studio expanding into Western markets. If you want to read the full press release on how these quiz salaries work or check out the new multi-platform details both are linked below!
Source: https://www.ign.com/articles/significant-pay-rises-offered-by-professor-layton-studio-if-you-correctly-answer-quizzes-about-the-companys-games