‘Significant’ Pay Rises Offered by Professor Layton Studio — if You Correctly Answer Quizzes About the Company’s Games
Japanese game developer Level-5 is offering “significant” pay raises to employees who can correctly answer quizzes about the company’s games. CEO Akihiro Hino announced the unique compensation initiative, which ties financial bonuses to staff knowledge of Level-5’s existing franchises.
The quiz-based pay raise system applies to employee knowledge of the studio’s most notable titles, including the Professor Layton puzzle adventure series, the Pokémon-like RPG franchise Yo-kai Watch, the anime soccer series Inazuma Eleven, and the Studio Ghibli-esque role-player Ni No Kuni. Employees who demonstrate expertise in these game franchises by passing the knowledge assessments become eligible for the bumper pay increases.
Level-5, headquartered in Fukuoka with additional offices in Tokyo and Osaka, developed this approach as an unusual method to incentivize employee engagement with the company’s catalog. The announcement came directly from CEO Hino speaking to Japanese gaming outlet Famitsu, indicating this is a deliberate company policy. The move reflects a distinctive approach to employee compensation in the video game industry, combining financial incentives with company culture and product knowledge.