Icons (2022 TV series)/Episode 5 transcript

Introduction
Narrator: "On the heels of a doomed franchise..."

AbdallahSmash026: "It was a really crucial time for Level-5."

Narrator: "A phenomenon was born."

Heidi Kemps: "And they really wanted a global hit, so they put out Yo-kai Watch."

Narrator: "It survived an executive's death..."

Reggie Fils-Aimé: "Iwata's death pretty much shocked everyone, both at Nintendo and Level-5."

Narrator: "...and saved a company."

Stephanie Cheng: "Retailers called us in week 2 or 3 saying, 'We're out of stock! We're out of stock! We have to have more software, people are banging down our doors!'"

Narrator: "But the phenomenon was short lived."

Johnny Yong Bosch: "And then it just stopped. I mean, it was just silent. Copies of Yo-kai Watch 1 and 2 sat on store shelves..."

Narrator: "This is the story of Yo-kai Watch.

Johnny Yong Bosch: "Here was a handheld RPG series that was new, that was different...

Part I
Narrator: "In August 2008, Level-5, a Japanese RPG publisher and developer, launches its Inazuma Eleven franchise on the Nintendo DS."

Abdallah "AbdallahSmash026" Elayan: Inazuma Eleven launched with great fanfare due to Japan's love affair with soccer. But they only released it in Europe due to the popularity of the FIFA series, which is basically a FIFA soccer simulator from EA."

Johnny Yong Bosch - Voice Actor: "It actually did quite well in Japan. In fact, it was their first mixed-media initiative."

Narrator: "Thanks to the game's popularity in its home country, Inazuma Eleven later gets an anime adaptation airing on weekend mornings."

AbdallahSmash026: "In Japan, the Inazuma Eleven was a phenomenon beyond anything that can be compared to in the United States, nothing can compare to how big it is or was there. And to make an anime adaptation in the spirit of Pokémon was a pretty bold, intelligent move on their part."

Johnny Yong Bosch: "In Japan, weekend morning cartoons were so hot. Obviously, they've been dead in America for a long time. But in Japan, having a weekend morning hit meant something. So the Inazuma Eleven anime was a weekend morning hit."

Narrator: "The franchise does not catch on outside of Japan, and is only given a digital release on the 3DS in North America."

Reggie Fils-Aimé - Former President, Nintendo of America: "Inazuma Eleven launched in North America... I believe in the Summer of 2014, which was six years too late in my opinion. It was also given a digital only release. I believe it was only available on the eShop. And Level-5 doesn't do a very good job marketing games on their own. And as everybody knows, if you want your game to succeed, you have to have good marketing.

Stephanie Cheng - Former Level-5 Executive: "Inazuma Eleven did well in Europe, but not enough to really engage gamers."

Akihiro Hino - Founder, Level-5, Inc. (in Japanese): "The Inazuma Eleven franchise was pretty big among the hardcore gamer and Otaku crowds. With the mass audience crowd, it wasn't quite as popular but it was still a big name."

Johnny Yong Bosch: "Level-5 was in a really difficult position, in that they had extended themselves... in fact, they had overextended themselves. There was a time prior to Yo-kai Watch, just a few years prior to Yo-kai Watch really, where they had Professor Layton games still being made, they had numerous Inazuma Eleven games coming out, and the latter had games coming out concurrently. They had really gotten themselves into a rut. They completely botched the Inazuma launch in North America."

Reggie Fils-Aimé: "I believe when we look at Inazuma Eleven, it was a franchise that should have launched in the US when it was new. In my opinion at least, although soccer is still pretty much a niche sport, people still like it. FIFA is a perfect example of this. If it launched at the right time, it might have had its audience."

Narrator: Inazuma's botched overseas launch - as well as poor sales of the first Ni no Kuni game almost cause Level-5's bankruptcy."

AbdallahSmash026: "Level-5 always strives for quality in their games, but the quality sometimes didn't translate to sales."

Narrator: "Level-5's solution is to begin work on a new mixed-media initiative. And this time, the Osaka-based company is determined to learn from its past mistakes."

Reggie Fils-Aimé: "Well, they had really established themselves as a company with us at Nintendo, and gained our confidence, despite their failures outside of Japan."

Narrator: "Level-5 hopes to earn more credibility with their mixed media franchises, and makes a surprise announcement at the Tokyo Game Show in 2011."

Johnny Yong Bosch: "What the company later announced was an IP where you befriended and trained Youkai, which are basically ghosts and monsters in Japanese folklore. There have been plenty of games and anime that used youkai as their influences; like a show called GeGeGe no Kitaro from Toei Animation for example. And the gameplay looked as it was like the Pokémon series, but instead of one monster against another, it's three youkai against three others."

Narrator: "Along with the unique concept comes a unique name, Yo-kai Watch,"

Stephanie Cheng: "I was completely excited about the prospect of competing with the Pokémon franchise. Because, it was clear that we had struggled with franchises that were not Professor Layton.

Heidi Kemps - IGN: "Level-5 had been struggling outside of Professor Layton, and they really wanted a global hit, so they put out Yo-kai Watch right before Pokémon X and Y came out.

Narrator: 'But, would gamers trust Level-5 after all of their past mistakes?"

AbdallahSmash026: "Definitely, what Level-5 was trying to incorporate into Yo-kai Watch, what they learned from Inazuma Eleven, was a broad audience. They were trying to make this a franchise for everybody. And they were really shifting gears. It was a really crucial time for Level-5."

Stephanie Cheng: "But, it was also clear that the company had every intent of joining the battle. And we were ready to join the battle."