Hideki Kamiya, co-founder of PlatinumGames, director of Bayonetta and supervisor on Bayonetta 2, took to Twitter to say to his followers, “I’ve got something I want to tell you all. It’s about Bayonetta 3.”
He wanted to talk about the development of the Bayonetta series, from the very first game from Sega, to the sequel that was released on Nintendo’s Wii U, and the third instalment, which according to Kamiya, would not have been possible were it not for Nintendo’s funding.
“We are a developer that creates games by signing contracts with publishers and receiving funds from them in order to cover development costs. For Bayonetta 1, we signed a contract with Sega and received funds from them, then we proposed a design for the game and entered production. All of the rights belong to Sega. At the time, our company had only just been established, and we weren’t properly equipped for multiplatform development, so after discussing with Sega, we decided to develop the game exclusively for Xbox 360. However, after that, one of Sega’s trading partners ended up making a port for PS3, at Sega’s behest. More recently, they also decided that a Steam version should be developed, which was released last year. Sega owns the rights to all of these versions.
When we started making Bayonetta 2, we initially received funds from Sega to develop the game for multiple platforms, but the project was halted due to circumstances at Sega. Nintendo then stepped in to continue funding the game, allowing us to finish it. As such, the rights belong to Sega and Nintendo. The rights owners decided the game should be made for Wii U. Nintendo was also kind enough to fund a port of Bayo 1 for Wii U, and they even allowed us to use the Japanese voice track we created for the Wii U version in the PC version of Bayo 1 as well. I am extremely thankful to Nintendo for funding the game, and to Sega for allowing them to use the Bayonetta IP.
As for Bayonetta 3, it was decided from the start that the game was going to be developed using Nintendo’s funding. Without their help, we would not have been able to kick off this project. All of the rights still belong to Sega and Nintendo. The rights owners decided that the game should be made for Switch. Game development is a business. Each company has its own circumstances and strategies. Sometimes this means games get made, sometimes it means they get cancelled. But I believe that every single person involved is dedicated to delivering the best possible experience. I know that, to me at least, that’s one of the biggest goals when I set to work. I cannot express how happy I am that we get to make Bayonetta 3, and we intend to do everything within our power to make it as good as it can be. That’s all we can do, and we consider it our greatest mission. It took a while for production of Bayonetta 3 to be okayed, but now that it has kicked off, I hope it will turn into a wonderful encounter for all of you.”
The reason for Kamiya’s lengthy talk might be to quash future questions on whether or not Bayonetta 3 will be ported to another console after he started getting questions about it.
Kamiya has been here before. Back in 2013, before Bayonetta 2 was released on Nintendo’s Wii U, he faced numerous questions on the game’s exclusivity on Nintendo’s console and the possibility of it being released on other consoles. Some highlighted how Xbox 360 and PS3 owners were the ones that enjoyed the original game, so why should they be deprived the opportunity of playing the sequel, or buy another console because Bayonetta is switching platforms? In November 2013, Kamiya lost patience and responded in his own unique way. He also responded to those telling him that they would not be buying the game by saying, “I have no interest in your financial plan. Tell your mother and she’ll be happy to hear that you save money.”
Bayonetta 3 is currently in development, however, a release date has not yet been announced. Bayonetta and its sequel are released on the Nintendo Switch on 16 February 2018. You can check out the launch trailer below.
Originally published on MyM Buzz on 13 February 2018.
