Photo: Steven Bornholtz / CC BY-SA 3.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Akihiro Hino is the kind of game creator who quietly makes you feel a little embarrassed about how little you do with your time. He built Level-5 from the ground up in Fukuoka — not Tokyo, not Osaka — and then had the nerve to make Professor Layton, Inazuma Eleven, and Yo-kai Watch all under one roof, while personally writing scripts and staying elbow-deep in the creative process. That's not a CEO move, that's a craftsman move. Growing up in Omuta, a coal town that basically got left behind by history, probably gave him that stubborn, build-it-yourself streak. He picked up Japan's Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry award in 2014, which is about as official as it gets, but honestly the legacy is just kids across generations losing entire weekends to his games. Low profile, high output, zero ego performance — I respect that more than I can explain.
Overview
Akihiro Hino is a Japanese game developer, screenwriter, and entrepreneur born on July 20, 1968, in Omuta, Fukuoka Prefecture. He is known for his dual role as both a hands-on engineer and company executive in the Japanese game industry. In 2014, he received the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Award at the Japan Game Awards.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Akihiro Hino
- Name (Japanese)
- 日野晃博
- Reading
- ひの あきひろ
- Born
- July 20, 1968 (age 58)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Cancer / Monkey (申)
- Origin
- Omuta, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan
- Occupation
- Entrepreneur / Engineer / Game Developer / Screenwriter / Businessman
2. Background
Awards & achievements
- 2014 — Japan Game Awards, Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Award
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
Frequently asked questions
When was Akihiro Hino born?
Born July 20, 1968 (age 58).
Where is Akihiro Hino from?
Akihiro Hino is from Omuta, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan.
What does Akihiro Hino do?
Akihiro Hino works as Entrepreneur, Engineer, Game Developer, Screenwriter, Businessman.
Entrepreneur — see all → · Engineer — see all → · More people from Japan →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.