CEO of Professor Layton studio Level-5 says staff get big pay rises for correctly answering quizzes about its games
Level-5, the studio behind major franchises including Inazuma Eleven and Ni no Kuni, has revealed an unconventional approach to employee compensation. According to the studio’s CEO, staff members can earn pay raises by correctly answering quizzes about Level-5’s games. This system ties financial rewards directly to demonstrating product knowledge, creating an incentive structure that goes beyond traditional performance metrics.
The practice reflects Level-5’s emphasis on ensuring employees maintain deep familiarity with the studio’s portfolio and intellectual properties. By rewarding quiz performance, the studio incentivizes staff to engage with and understand its body of work, which can strengthen both company culture and product quality through better-informed employees.
This approach represents an unusual take on employee incentives in the video game industry, where compensation structures typically focus on role-specific performance, project delivery, or seniority. Level-5’s quiz-based system offers insight into how some studios attempt to foster company knowledge and culture while also providing tangible financial benefits to employees who demonstrate engagement with the studio’s creative output.