Editing Level-5 (section)

==History==
Level-5's first full scale production was the action RPG ''[[Wikipedia:Dark Cloud|Dark Cloud]]'', developed under contract by [[Sony Computer Entertainment]] originally for the Japanese launch of the {{PlayStation 2}} in March 2000. However, it was delayed before the PS2 launch to allow further development, and eventually released in Japan on December 14, 2000, and elsewhere in 2001. The game was an immediate success for the company, selling just under a million units worldwide. Work immediately began on a pseudo-sequel titled ''[[Wikipedia:Dark Chronicle|Dark Chronicle]]'' (''Dark Cloud 2'' in North America), that, while not as successful as the first, still gained critical acclaim and sold over half a million units worldwide.

Midway through 2002 the company had a substantial boost in recognition as it began development on three high profile titles:
*''[[Wikipedia:True Fantasy Live Online|True Fantasy Live Online]]'' for [[Wikipedia:Microsoft|Microsoft]], an [[Wikipedia:MMORPG|MMORPG]] which was to become one of the premier titles for the [[Wikipedia:Xbox|Xbox]] and [[Wikipedia:Xbox Live|Xbox Live]] service in Japan before it was abruptly canceled in 2004.
*{{DQ8}} for [[Enix]] (later [[Square Enix]]), who had handpicked Level-5 to develop the title under the supervision of series designer [[Yuji Horii]] via his company [[Armor Project]].
*''[[Wikipedia:Rogue Galaxy|Rogue Galaxy]]'', the studio’s third RPG for Sony Computer Entertainment, with a larger budget and more creative freedom than its previous productions with the publisher.

In just four short years, Level-5 went from small startup studio to one of the premier RPG developers in Japan, and have since enjoyed immense critical and commercial success. In early 2007, the company released its first fully self-funded and self-published title in Japan, ''[[Wikipedia:Professor Layton and the Curious Village|Professor Layton and the Curious Village]]'', which has since enjoyed incredible commercial success, shipping more than 840,000 copies to retail, and has officially transitioned Level-5 into both a developer ''and'' publisher of interactive video game entertainment in Japan.