Professor Layton Takes His Final Bow, Now It’s Time For Something New

Professor Layton and the Azran Legacies released in Japan last week and sold 130,000 copies in its first week. While that’s marginally better than its predecessor—which had the lowest debut in the series—it’s still the second-lowest game in the entire Professor Layton saga, as far as debut sales go. Here’s a sales comparison:

(2007) Professor Layton and the Curious Village – 136,736

(2007) Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box – 293,897

(2008) Professor Layton and the Unwound Future – 347,360

(2009) Professor Layton and the Last Specter – 306,473

(2011) Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask – 119,591

(2013) Professor Layton and the Azran Legacies – 130,686

Level 5 have been referring to Azran Legacies as Professor Layton’s final adventure, and it’s just as well. With sales declining so steeply this generation, it looks like it might be time for the Professor Layton series to see some sort of a shake-up if Level 5 intend to continue it in any form. Maybe a gritty third-person shooter? Layton once built a gun out of a slot machine, you know.

Food for thought:

In all seriousness, should Level 5 want to continue the series, what would you suggest? A more traditional point-and-click adventure game perhaps?