Image: Level-5Note: This article previously incorrectly stated that Keiji Inafune designed Mega Man. We have corrected the error and apologise for the mistake.A brand new blog post from Level-5 has revealed some of the development woes its upcoming title Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time.Namely, the game's producer Keiji Inafune, who is perhaps best known as a character designer for the Mega Man series left the company in mid-2024. This also means that Level5 comcet, which was created after Level-5 acquired Inafune's studio Comcept, has also been shuttered, with all projects transferred over to Level-5's Osaka Office.Subscribe to Nintendo Life on YouTube797kWatch on YouTube Since Inafune's departure in 2024, Level-5 CEO Akihiro Hino has now taken over as producer of the project, and has not been shy about sharing the difficulties of development in the blog post."...we had to reassess and restructure the project", Hino writes, "Meanwhile, internal test players had given the game harsh evaluations, making it clear that major revisions were necessary. In response, I decided to take on the role of producer, shifting the core development team from Osaka to our headquarters."Since coming under Hino's wing, the project has "evolved into a collective effort across our whole company", with teams from Fukuoka, Tokyo, and other locations pitching in. Hino says that this allowed Level-5 to expand the team and "focus on fine-tuning the game's quality right up until the very end."Images: Level-5Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time has been growing in size since its announcement in 2023, but it's also faced multiple delays. The game settled on a final release date earlier this year, and also confirmed the game was going multiplatform.Since its initial announcement, Fantasy Life i has added open-world elements and parkour-inspired action, a complete rehaul of the game's progression system and flow, and a refinement of the main story "to be even more emotionally impactful." Cross-Play, Cross-Save, and UI improvements have also been promised."Thanks to the solid foundation of the games core mechanics, these additions didnt just fit inthey enhanced what was already great about the game, making the experience significantly more enjoyable", Hino states in the post, confirming that the game is "finally nearing completion".You can read the full blog post, where Hino promises to share regular updates of game development progress, on the Level-5 website.Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time launches on Switch on 21st May 2025. Are you looking forward to the game? Are you surprised about Inafune's departure? Let us know in the comments. Sequel is finally launching later this yearIncluding English language support[source level5.co.jp]Related GamesSee AlsoShare:02 Alana has been with Nintendo Life since 2022, and while RPGs are her first love, Nintendo is a close second. She enjoys nothing more than overthinking battle strategies, characters, and stories. She also wishes she was a Sega air pirate. Hold on there, you need to login to post a comment...Related ArticlesNintendo Confirms Removal Of Switch Online SNES GameSuper Soccer will "no longer be available"Nintendo Highlights Four Brand New Games "Coming Soon" To SwitchMarch is going to be an exciting monthStunning New Physical Edition Of Stardew Valley Is Now Available At FangamerIncludes comic, poster, art cards, and more