PlatinumGames plans to continue Bayonetta series despite developer departures

PlatinumGames chief executive officer Atsushi Inaba has indicated that the Osaka, Japan studio intends to continue developing the Bayonetta action series. VGC and My Nintendo News both reported that Inaba expressed a desire to expand the character of Bayonetta and broaden her world. The statements were originally made during a joint interview with Shift Up chief executive Kim Hyung Tae published by Famitsu. [1][2]

The plans come after the departure of several lead developers from the studio. According to VGC, these departures include series creator and co-founder Hideki Kamiya, who left to form a new studio to make Okami 2. PlatinumGames has not released an entry in the main series since those high-profile exits. [1]

The Bayonetta franchise launched in 2009 and received sequels published by Nintendo, including Bayonetta 2 on the Wii U in 2014 and Bayonetta 3 on the Nintendo Switch in 2022. The most recent release in the series was the 2023 spin-off prequel, Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon, which also arrived on the Nintendo Switch. [1][7]

PlatinumGames does not own the rights to the Bayonetta intellectual property outright. VGC reported that the ownership of the franchise is split between Japanese publishers Sega and Nintendo under a business agreement that brought its sequels exclusively to Nintendo hardware platforms. [1]