Licensing Magazine: Professor Layton TV Series in Development

The Total Licensing magazine reported on Sunday that a television series based on the Professor Layton game franchise is in development. According to the magazine, the series will have 26 episodes and is slated for 2018.

The news was part of a feature on Level-5 and Dentsu Inc.'s California-based subsidiary Level-5 abby, which handles overseas expansion of Level-5 franchises. The company will attend the Brand Licensing Europe and MIPCOM trade show events for the first time this month.

The September issue of License Global magazine also reported that Level-5 is planning a "variety of content" for the Professor Layton franchise, including "animated products." The magazine notes that a new Layton title is slated for late summer 2018, but it did not confirm whether the title will be a game or some other medium.

Level-5's puzzle game series stars Professor Hershel Layton and his apprentice Luke as they solve mysteries. The most recent game in the franchise, Layton's Mystery Journey: Katrielle and the Millionaires' Conspiracy, shifted the focus to Hershel Layton's daughter Katrielle Layton. The game launched worldwide on iOS and Android devices on July 20. It also shipped for Nintendo 3DS in Japan on July 20, and will ship for 3DS in the West on Friday.

The franchise already inspired an anime film titled Professor Layton and the Eternal Diva. The film opened in Japan in 2009, and Viz Media licensed and released the film in North America in 2011.