(born July 20, 1968) is a Japanese

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

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 and 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 is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

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 pu ...

, specifically on the ''

OverBlood is a science fiction video game developed by Riverhillsoft and published by Electronic Arts for the PlayStation in 1997. It is considered the first survival horror game to make use of a fully three-dimensional virtual environment. The game was ...

'' series for the original

PlayStation is a video gaming brand owned and produced by Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE), a division of Japanese conglomerate Sony. Its flagship products consists of a series of home video game consoles produced under the brand; it also consists ...

. Hino acted as the lead programmer on the first ''

'', and was subsequently promoted to lead designer and director for the sequel, ''

OverBlood 2 is an action-adventure video game developed by Riverhillsoft for the PlayStation. It is the sequel to the game ''OverBlood'', released on the same platform. The game was published in Japan by Riverhillsoft on July 23, 1998, while a European versi ...

''. 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 Dec ...

'', ''

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 before releasing in Eng ...

'' 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. It was originally released exclusively in Japan in December 2005; a director's cut of the game with ...

'' for the

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

, ''

Jeanne d'Arc Joan of Arc ( ; ; – 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 Coronation of the French monarch, coronation of Charles VII o ...

'' for the

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

, and ''

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

'' for the

Nintendo DS The is a foldable 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 worki ...

. He also directed

Square Enix is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational holding company, video game publisher and entertainment conglomerate. It releases role-playing video game, role-playing game franchises, such as ''Final Fantasy'', ''Dragon Quest'', and '' ...

's ''

Dragon Quest VIII ''Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King'' is a 2004 role-playing video game developed by Level-5 and published by Square Enix for the PlayStation 2. It was first released in Japan in November 2004, followed by North America in November ...

''. Recently, Hino once again assumed designing and producing duties for Level-5's titles, ''

White Knight Chronicles ''White Knight Chronicles'' is a 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 2009 it has sold 350,000 ...

'' for the

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

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

, and ''

Inazuma Eleven is an association football Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football ...

'' for the Nintendo DS, and ''

Dragon Quest IX ''Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies'' is a 2009 role-playing video game developed by Level-5 (company), Level-5 and Square Enix for the Nintendo DS. Published by Square Enix in Japan in July 2009 and by Nintendo overseas the followin ...

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

role-playing video game Role-playing video games, also known as CRPG (computer/console role-playing games), comprise a broad video game genre generally defined by a detailed story and character advancement (often through increasing characters' levels or other skills) ...

powerhouse

Works

References

External links

*
Akihiro Hino
at

MobyGames MobyGames is a commercial website that catalogs information on video game A video game or computer game is an electronic game that involves interaction with a user interface or input device (such as a joystick, game controller, controlle ...

{{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 Japanese video game writers Japanese business executives