Level-5's Quirky Pay Raise Program: Pass a Quiz on the Company's Games, Get a Significant Salary Bump

The Quiz: How It Works and Who Can Benefit

The "knowledge quiz" covers Level-5's entire game library, stretching from the puzzle-box adventures of Professor Layton to the monster-collecting world of Yo-kai Watch, the high-stakes soccer of Inazuma Eleven, and the Ghibli-infused fantasy of Ni no Kuni. It is administered both to job applicants during the hiring process and to existing employees as a voluntary assessment.

High scorers receive a generous pay raise regardless of their career level or seniority. Even brand-new hires are eligible. The exact amount was disclosed off the record to Famitsu, and it reportedly astonished the interviewers, hinting at a remarkably substantial bonus that goes well beyond a token gesture.

Level-5 is even considering raising the bonus amount further in the future, signaling that the program is not a one-off gimmick but a long-term retention tool. For a studio of roughly 320 employees, with headquarters in Fukuoka and satellite offices in Tokyo and Osaka, this kind of personalized incentive is feasible. But its success could inspire other mid-sized studios to consider similar models.

Why CEO Akihiro Hino Calls Product Knowledge a 'Genuine Skill'

Hino's rationale is refreshingly pragmatic. He argues that deep familiarity with the studio's titles is not mere trivia. It is a skill that reduces the need for oversight. Knowledgeable employees can lead projects more independently, streamline workflows, and answer team questions faster, ultimately improving efficiency.

The raise effectively pays for itself because employees who ace the quiz require less management time and produce higher-quality output. Hino frames it as a net efficiency gain rather than a gratuitous perk. This is not about rewarding fanboys; it is about rewarding the kind of expertise that makes a development team self-sufficient and nimble.

Hino has also become more personally involved in the early stages of hiring to screen for genuine passion for games and for Level-5's franchises. Previously, he only participated in final interviews. Now he joins from the very beginning, a move that underscores how central cultural fit and product enthusiasm are to the company's philosophy. When you work at Level-5, knowing the catalog is not a nice-to-have. It is a core part of your toolkit.

A Welcome Surprise in a Bleak Industry Job Market

The contrast with the broader industry could not be starker. As of early 2026, major studios like PlayStation (including Bungie), Microsoft's Xbox division, and others have announced sweeping layoffs. The games job market is brutal, with thousands of experienced developers searching for roles. Level-5's approach sends a clear message: your knowledge and passion are valued and tangibly rewarded. This stands in direct opposition to the "cost-center" mentality driving cuts elsewhere. Instead of treating employees as expendable line items, Level-5 is treating them as long-term assets whose expertise becomes more valuable the deeper it runs. The quiz-based raise is also a clever morale booster, it gives employees a concrete goal to work toward and fosters a shared culture of enthusiasm around the games everyone is building together.

The Road Ahead: Professor Layton's Return and Level-5's Momentum

Level-5's next major launch is Professor Layton and the New World of Steam, scheduled for 2026 on PC, PS5, Nintendo Switch, and the Nintendo Switch successor. The game's release will be a key test of whether the quiz program's boosted morale translates into tangible quality. If a team that is deeply knowledgeable about the series can deliver a Layton adventure that recaptures the magic of the originals, the incentive will have proven its worth.

The studio's continued investment in employee satisfaction, through both the quiz raises and Hino's hands-on hiring, suggests confidence in its upcoming pipeline. Level-5 is not hunkering down; it is scaling up its talent base and rewarding those who already excel. The quiz program may also serve as a subtle marketing tool. Job applicants who study Level-5's back catalog to prepare for the quiz become more invested in the brand. Employees who score well become enthusiastic ambassadors. In a world where toxic crunch culture and high turnover are normalized, this kind of mutual loyalty is a breath of fresh air.

A Bold Bet on Passion That Might Just Reshape the Industry

Level-5's knowledge-quiz pay raise is more than a quirky headline. It is a deliberate strategy that ties compensation directly to the company's core asset, its intellectual property. While the exact bonus remains tantalizingly secret, the logic behind it is transparent: informed employees are more autonomous, productive, and loyal. At a time when the games industry is shedding talent, Level-5 is betting that investing in deep product knowledge will pay dividends, both in employee satisfaction and in the quality of its next generation of games.

Whether other studios adopt similar models remains to be seen. But for now, Level-5 has given the industry a refreshingly positive story to talk about. And somewhere in Fukuoka, a developer is probably brushing up on the finer points of Layton's puzzle mechanics, hoping to land a raise that even Famitsu couldn't put a price on.