Level-5, creator such hits as Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch and the Professor Layton series, is also responsible for the much under appreciated Dark Cloud and Dark Cloud 2. In fact, the first Dark Cloud was their first entry as a developer of video games. The Dark Cloud series was very well received in 2000 and 2002, but nothing has been said about it since.
For two titles that were made to such perfection, it's surprising that Level-5 hasn't developed another. In an interview with Polygon at Gamescom, Level-5 CEO Akihiro Hino explains why.
“There has been a lot of requests and voices to create a Dark Cloud 3 or some form of Dark Cloud. That IP is co-owned or managed by Sony Computer Entertainment, so it’s not something that we can do or act upon on our own.”
This may be disheartening to fans of the classics, but it should be known that Level-5 has gone to bat for the fans, entering negotiations over Dark Cloud in the past. Hino expressed his interest in a revival, although he did explain that he's, "Not sure if that's happening now."
So that's where the beloved PlayStation 2 series lies: locked behind co-ownership where the creative minds want it, and the money holder sits on it. Dark Cloud joined the PlayStation 2 emulation to PlayStation 4 in the Fall of 2015, later followed by Dark Cloud 2. Many fans thought this was a way to gauge interest in a sequel, but alas, this is where the series lies.
It sounds like Level-5 hears the fans, but Sony needs to be told. If only there was a platform with which to share your opinions with a company.
In other Level-5 news, Ni No Kuni 2: Revenent Kingdom has been postponed to 2018, but it's coming to PC as well as PlayStation 4. Check out the latest trailer here.
