Level-5 Osaka Office
Level-5's Osaka development studio
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
Level-5 Osaka Office is a Japanese video-game development division based in Osaka and associated with the former Comcept organization. Its institutional history begins with Comcept, Inc., an independent studio founded by former Capcom designer Keiji Inafune on December 1, 2010, after his departure from Capcom. Comcept was established as a design and production company rather than as a narrowly focused single-franchise developer. It commonly partnered with other studios and publishers, worked across console, handheld, smartphone, and online projects, and combined original intellectual property with development support. The studio’s early work included mobile titles such as The Island of Dr. Momo, released through the GREE platform with a free-to-play and microtransaction model, and J.J. Rockets. Comcept subsequently became associated with several high-profile projects. It collaborated with Team Ninja and Spark Unlimited on Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z, assisted Sony Computer Entertainment and Japan Studio with Soul Sacrifice and Soul Sacrifice Delta, and developed Mighty No. 9 with Inti Creates. Mighty No. 9 was promoted as a spiritual successor to Mega Man and was financed through Kickstarter, but its development involved repeated delays and the final game received mixed reviews. Comcept also attempted to develop Red Ash: The Indelible Legend, another spiritual successor to a Mega Man-related property; its Kickstarter campaign failed to reach its initial target, although Chinese publisher Fuze later announced financing. The game did not release before Comcept’s corporate transition and subsequent closure. A related animated short, Red Ash: -Gearworld-, was produced by Studio 4°C through a separate project. Comcept also worked with Intercept on Kaio: King of Pirates, a Nintendo 3DS title planned for publication by Marvelous. Marvelous cancelled the project in 2015 and disclosed a substantial development-related loss. The cancellation illustrated the commercial risks associated with Comcept’s ambitious, externally financed projects. In 2017, Level-5 acquired Comcept. The Tokyo office was closed, leaving the Osaka operation as the company’s continuing base, and the organization became known as Level-5 Comcept. During the Level-5 period, the studio developed or supported projects within the wider Level-5 portfolio. Its first game under the new ownership was the mobile title Dragon & Colonies, launched in June 2019 and discontinued on February 17, 2020. The Osaka team later provided development assistance for titles including Yo-kai Watch Jam: Yo-kai Academy Y – Waiwai Gakuen Seikatsu and Megaton Musashi. In February 2023, Level-5 announced that Level-5 Comcept would handle development of Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time. The organization’s later history became closely connected to changes in Fantasy Life i and to Inafune’s departure. Level-5 stated in March 2025 that Inafune had left the company in mid-2024 and that Fantasy Life i would undergo a major development overhaul after unfavorable feedback from playtesters. At the same time, Level-5 announced the creation of a new Osaka Office at the former Level-5 Comcept premises to take over development responsibilities. The available reference material describes the office as the successor to Level-5 Comcept, while also reporting that Comcept was formally dissolved through a shareholder resolution. Accordingly, the current subject is best understood as the Level-5 Osaka-based successor operation rather than as an independent continuing Comcept company.
History
Comcept was founded in Osaka on December 1, 2010, by Keiji Inafune after he left Capcom. The studio emerged shortly after the cancellation of Mega Man Legends 3, a project Inafune had regarded as a long-standing creative ambition. Its operating model emphasized design, production, and collaboration: rather than maintaining a single genre or franchise identity, Comcept worked with publishers and external developers on several projects at once. Its earliest known release was The Island of Dr. Momo, a free-to-play smartphone game distributed through GREE and supported by microtransactions. Comcept also developed J.J. Rockets, another mobile project. The studio then expanded into console and handheld development. In 2012 it was revealed as a collaborator on Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z, alongside Team Ninja and Spark Unlimited. The game launched in March 2014 but was poorly received by critics, with its reported Metacritic score standing at 43 and later commentary placing it among notably weak games. Comcept and fellow Inafune-founded developer Intercept also worked on Kaio: King of Pirates, a Nintendo 3DS game planned for Marvelous. The project was cancelled in 2015, and Marvelous disclosed a loss of ¥461 million connected with it. Comcept’s development support work included Sony Computer Entertainment and Japan Studio’s Soul Sacrifice for PlayStation Vita and its expanded edition Soul Sacrifice Delta. At PAX Prime 2013, Inafune presented Mighty No. 9, a new action game positioned as a spiritual successor to Mega Man. The project was funded through Kickstarter and developed with Inti Creates. It experienced multiple delays before launching in 2016. Reviews were mixed, particularly regarding quality, presentation, and gameplay. Inafune later accepted responsibility for the project’s problems, while producer Ben Judd attributed difficulties partly to underestimating the effort required to develop the base game and multiple platform versions concurrently. In 2017, Comcept licensed the Mighty No. 9 characters to Inti Creates for use in Mighty Gunvolt Burst without a licensing fee. Another Kickstarter project, Red Ash: The Indelible Legend, was announced as a spiritual successor to the Mega Man Legends series. Its campaign raised $519,999 against an $800,000 goal and was criticized for its rushed presentation and planning. Chinese publisher Fuze subsequently announced financing on July 30, 2015. The game nevertheless did not release before Comcept’s later corporate transition. A related animated short, Red Ash: -Gearworld-, was handled through a separate Studio 4°C Kickstarter effort and appeared in March 2017 as part of the Young Animator Training Project’s Anime Mirai 2017 program. Level-5 acquired Comcept in 2017. The Tokyo office was closed, leaving the Osaka operation as the group’s sole base, and the studio became Level-5 Comcept. Its first game under Level-5 ownership was Dragon & Colonies, a mobile title released in June 2019 and shut down on February 17, 2020. The Osaka team also supplied development assistance for later Level-5 projects, including Yo-kai Watch Jam: Yo-kai Academy Y – Waiwai Gakuen Seikatsu and Megaton Musashi. On February 8, 2023, Level-5 identified Level-5 Comcept as the developer of Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time. In a March 3, 2025 announcement, Level-5 reported that Inafune had left the company in mid-2024. The same announcement described a substantial redevelopment of Fantasy Life i following unfavorable playtest feedback and introduced a new Osaka Office at the Level-5 Comcept site to assume the project. The reference material records the end of Comcept as a separate organization through a shareholder resolution and describes the Osaka Office as its successor. It also reports formal dissolution proceedings associated with Comcept. The resulting entity should therefore be distinguished from the original independent Comcept company: Level-5 Osaka Office represents the Osaka development operation that followed the acquisition and organizational restructuring.
- 2025
Osaka Office is created
[1]Level-5 announces a new Osaka Office at the former Level-5 Comcept premises and transfers responsibility for the overhauled Fantasy Life i project.
- 2023
Fantasy Life i development is announced
[1]Level-5 assigns development of Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time to Level-5 Comcept.
- 2019
Dragon & Colonies launches
[1]The studio’s first mobile game under Level-5 ownership is released.
- 2017
Level-5 acquisition
[1]Level-5 acquires Comcept and reorganizes its Osaka operation as Level-5 Comcept.
- 2015
Kaio: King of Pirates is cancelled
[1]Marvelous cancels the Comcept and Intercept project planned for Nintendo 3DS.
- 2013
Mighty No. 9 Kickstarter launches
[1]Comcept presents Mighty No. 9 as a spiritual successor to Mega Man and launches its crowdfunding campaign.
- 2012
Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z is revealed
[1]Comcept announces its collaboration with Team Ninja and Spark Unlimited on a new Ninja Gaiden project.
- 2010
Comcept is founded
[1]Keiji Inafune establishes Comcept, Inc. as an independent Osaka-based game design and production studio.
Products and positioning
An Osaka-based game-development operation with roots in Comcept’s cross-platform, partnership-oriented studio model and a later role within Level-5’s first-party development structure.
Mobile game
The Island of Dr. Momo
Comcept’s first reported game was a free-to-play smartphone title distributed through the GREE platform. Its business model included microtransactions, reflecting the studio’s early participation in Japan’s mobile and social-game market.
Mobile game
J.J. Rockets
An early mobile project developed during Comcept’s independent period. The available reference material identifies the title as part of the company’s initial smartphone-game output but does not provide further production or commercial details.
Console video game · 2014
Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z
A collaborative action game developed by Comcept with Team Ninja and Spark Unlimited. It was revealed in 2012 and released in March 2014. The title received broadly negative critical attention, including a reported Metacritic score of 43.
Handheld video game · 2013
Soul Sacrifice
Comcept assisted Sony Computer Entertainment and Japan Studio with the design and development of this PlayStation Vita action title. The studio also contributed to Soul Sacrifice Delta, an expanded version of the game.
Console and PC video game · 2016
Mighty No. 9
A Kickstarter-funded action platformer developed jointly with Inti Creates and promoted as a spiritual successor to Mega Man. It launched in 2016 after multiple delays and received mixed reviews, with criticism directed at execution, quality, and gameplay.
Console and PC video game
Red Ash: The Indelible Legend
An announced spiritual successor to the Mega Man Legends series. Its Kickstarter campaign raised $519,999 against an $800,000 target, after which Chinese publisher Fuze announced financing. The game did not release before Comcept’s closure.
Mobile game · 2019
Dragon & Colonies
The first game associated with Comcept after its acquisition by Level-5. It launched as a mobile title in June 2019 and its service ended on February 17, 2020.
Console video game
Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time
A Level-5 role-playing and life-simulation project assigned to Level-5 Comcept in 2023. Following unfavorable playtest feedback, Level-5 announced a major development overhaul in 2025 and transferred responsibility to the newly established Osaka Office.
Controversies
2016
Mighty No. 9 development and release backlash
Mighty No. 9 faced repeated delays and mixed critical reception. Keiji Inafune publicly accepted responsibility for the project’s problems, while producer Ben Judd described substantial underestimation of the work required for simultaneous multi-platform development.
2015
Red Ash crowdfunding controversy
The Red Ash Kickstarter campaign drew criticism from fans and game journalists, who characterized the campaign as rushed and poorly planned. It failed to reach its initial funding target before outside financing was announced.
Marketing campaigns
- 2016Mighty No. 9 character licensing
International
Comcept licensed the Mighty No. 9 characters to Inti Creates for use in the Nintendo Switch game Mighty Gunvolt Burst.
Outcome. Inti Creates was allowed to use the characters free of charge under the reported arrangement.
- 2015Red Ash: The Indelible Legend Kickstarter campaign
International
Comcept sought crowdfunding for a spiritual successor to Mega Man Legends. The campaign was criticized by fans and journalists for its rushed presentation and planning.
Outcome. The campaign raised $519,999 against an $800,000 goal. Fuze later announced financing, but the game did not release before Comcept’s closure.
- 2013Mighty No. 9 Kickstarter campaign
International
Comcept used Kickstarter to finance Mighty No. 9, presenting the project as a spiritual successor to Mega Man and as an opportunity to revive a style of 2D action platforming.
Outcome. The campaign supported development, but the game experienced multiple delays before its 2016 release and received mixed reviews.
Brand decisions
2025
Creation of the Osaka Office and overhaul of Fantasy Life iStrategyBackground
Level-5 reported that Keiji Inafune had left in mid-2024 and that playtesters had responded unfavorably to Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time.
Action taken
Level-5 announced a major development overhaul and created a new Osaka Office at the former Level-5 Comcept premises to take over the project.
Aftermath
The Osaka Office became the successor operation associated with the former Level-5 Comcept site, while Comcept’s separate organizational identity was formally wound down.
2019
Launch of Dragon & ColoniesProduct launchBackground
Level-5 Comcept’s first identified game under Level-5 ownership was a mobile project.
Action taken
The studio launched Dragon & Colonies in June 2019.
Aftermath
The service was discontinued on February 17, 2020.
2017
Level-5 acquires ComceptM&ABackground
Comcept had operated as an independent, partnership-oriented game studio since 2010.
Action taken
Level-5 acquired the company, closed its Tokyo office, and retained the Osaka operation as Level-5 Comcept.
Aftermath
The Osaka team became part of Level-5’s development structure and worked on mobile titles and support assignments for Level-5 projects.
Sources2 sources
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