(born July 20, 1968) is a Japanese

video game designer Video game design is the process of designing the content and rules of video games in the pre-production stage and designing the gameplay, environment, storyline and characters in the production stage. Some common video game design subdiscipline ...

and businessman. Starting his career as a programmer in the 1990s, he later took on roles in writing, design, directing and producing. He founded Level-5 in 1998, where he remains its president and CEO.

Biography

Hino began his career in the video game industry in the late 1980s at the now defunct

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the n ...

ese developer

Riverhillsoft was a Japanese video game manufacturer in operation from 1982 to 2004. The studio focused in the 1980s developing games for Japanese home computers, in the 1990s shifted to console game development, and in the 2000s to mobile games. They also pub ...

, specifically on the '' OverBlood'' series for the original

PlayStation is a video gaming brand that consists of five home video game consoles, two handhelds, a media center, and a smartphone, as well as an online service and multiple magazines. The brand is produced by Sony Interactive Entertainment, a di ...

. Hino acted as the lead programmer on the first '' OverBlood'', and was subsequently promoted to lead designer and director for the sequel, '' OverBlood 2''. Hino founded Level-5 in October 1998. Since the creation of Level-5, Hino has designed, planned and produced several of the studio's released titles, ''

Dark Cloud is an action role-playing video game developed by Level-5 and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 2. Originally intended as a launch title for the system in March 2000, the game was eventually released in Japan in ...

'', ''

Dark Chronicle ''Dark Chronicle'', released as ''Dark Cloud 2'' in North America, is a 2002 action role-playing game developed by Level-5 (company), Level-5 and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 2 (PS2). It was released in Japan befo ...

'' and ''

Rogue Galaxy ''Rogue Galaxy'' is an action role-playing video game developed by Level-5 and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 2. The game was released in Japan in December 2005, in North America in January 2007, and in most Europea ...

'' for the

PlayStation 2 The PlayStation 2 (PS2) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on 4 March 2000, in North America on 26 October 2000, in Europe on 24 November 2000, and in Australia on ...

, ''

Jeanne d'Arc Joan of Arc (french: link=yes, Jeanne d'Arc, translit= �an daʁk} ; 1412 – 30 May 1431) is a patron saint of France, honored as a defender of the French nation for her role in the siege of Orléans and her insistence on the coronati ...

'' for the

PlayStation Portable The PlayStation Portable (PSP) is a handheld game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on December 12, 2004, in North America on March 24, 2005, and in PAL regions on September 1, 200 ...

, and ''

Professor Layton and the Curious Village ''Professor Layton and the Curious Village'' is a puzzle adventure video game for the Nintendo DS system. It was developed by Level-5 and published by Level-5 in Japan and Nintendo worldwide. It was released in Japan in 2007 and worldwide the fol ...

'' for the

Nintendo DS The is a handheld game console produced by Nintendo, released globally across 2004 and 2005. The DS, an initialism for "Developers' System" or "Dual Screen", introduced distinctive new features to handheld games: two LCD screens working in t ...

. He also directed Square Enix's '' Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King'' for the PlayStation 2. Recently, Hino once again assumed designing and producing duties for Level-5's titles, ''

White Knight Chronicles ''White Knight Chronicles'' is a fantasy role-playing video game developed by Level-5 and Japan Studio and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 3. It is Level-5's first project for the system. As of August 8, 2009 it has s ...

'' for the

PlayStation 3 The PlayStation 3 (PS3) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment. The successor to the PlayStation 2, it is part of the PlayStation brand of consoles. It was first released on Novemb ...

, and the next two ''Professor Layton'' games – '' the Diabolical Box'' and '' the Unwound Future'', both for the

, and ''

Inazuma Eleven is an association football-themed media franchise created by Level-5. The franchise began with the release of ''Inazuma Eleven'' in 2008, with the game series selling over 8 million copies worldwide by 2016. In addition to video games, the franch ...

'' for the Nintendo DS, and ''

Dragon Quest IX ''Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies'' is a role-playing video game co-developed by Level-5 and Square Enix for the Nintendo DS. Published by Square Enix in Japan in 2009, and by Nintendo overseas in 2010, it is the ninth mainline ent ...

'', also for the DS, which is his studio's second collaboration with

role-playing video game A role-playing video game (commonly referred to as simply a role-playing game or RPG, as well as a computer role-playing game or CRPG) is a video game genre where the player controls the actions of a character (or several party members) immers ...

powerhouse

Square Enix is a Japanese multinational holding company, production enterprise and entertainment conglomerate, best known for its ''Final Fantasy'', ''Dragon Quest'', ''Star Ocean'' and ''Kingdom Hearts'' role-playing video game franchises, among numerous ...

Works

References

External links

*
Akihiro Hino
at

MobyGames MobyGames is a commercial website that catalogs information on video games and the people and companies behind them via crowdsourcing. This includes nearly 300,000 games for hundreds of platforms. The site is supported by banner ads and a small ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hino, Akihiro Level-5 (company) Japanese video game producers Japanese video game directors Japanese video game programmers Japanese video game designers People from Ōmuta, Fukuoka 1968 births Living people Video game writers Japanese business executives