Level-5’s output has been a bit inconsistent in recent years, but the Japanese developer does have some promising games in the pipeline. For instance, earlier this year, it announced DECAPOLICE, a detective RPG set in a futuristic, crime-ridden city. And though originally the game was set to launch later in 2023, Level-5 has now announced that it has been delayed.
During its recent Level-5 Vision 2023 II event, the company’s president and CEO Akihiro Hino revealed that DECAPOLICE has been delayed into 2024, with the developer having decided to take additional time to ensure the game hits the level of quality it internally expects.
“The open-world crime suspense RPG DECAPOLICE received high praise after we released a trial version at Tokyo Game Show,” Hino said. “To ensure thorough development in both quality and quantity of content, we’ve decided to take a little more time.”
Hino also explained that DECAPOLICE is set to have a much larger, denser, and more immersive world than any of Level-5’s past titles.
“As far as Level-5 games go, this title possesses a vast open world of unprecedented size,” Hino said. “We aim to build a dense and immersive world, filled with opportunities to play. Various incidents will occur in many different locations, and many of them are full of surprises. This is the kind gameplay we’re aiming for with DECAPOLICE.”
DECAPOLICE is in development for PS5, PS4, and Nintendo Switch. Of course, with the game now pushed into 2024, it’s worth asking whether it will also release for the rumoured Nintendo Switch 2, which is alleged to be targeting launch sometime in the second half of 2024.
During its recent event, Level-5 also announced 2025 launch window for Professor Layton and the New World of Steam.