The Bayonetta franchise was a great example of “making something special” and then simply needing “the right people behind it” to push it further. The game came out on the Xbox 360 and PS3 and sold a million units…but wasn’t continued. Then, Nintendo came in and funded/published the next two mainline entries, as well as a prequel title. Hideki Kamiya was the mastermind behind it all, and it showed. However, the third game’s divisive ending (which I talked about in my review) really alienated many fans. Then, with his departure from PlatinumGames, many wondered if Kamiya did that to “end things” so that he could move on to his new studio, Clovers Inc.
However, in a new video on his YouTube channel, Hideki Kamiya cleared the air and noted that, in point of fact, that ending was meant to lead to a 4th entry that would’ve begun an entirely new trilogy with various new elements and gameplay styles:
“I often hear people say, ‘He wanted to end the series with Bayonetta 3.’ That’s absolutely not true. I just wanted to mark a stopping point as a trilogy. And for me, that stopping point was supposed to be the start of a new chapter. I imagined continuing the series with that new chapter. Maybe even make it another trilogy that leads into yet another chapter. That was my plan. And when starting that new chapter, I didn’t just think about the story. Of course, the story would be new, but also, the game system – I had been gradually evolving it from 1 to 2 to 3. For the new chapter, I imagined a complete model change – starting fresh with both story and game design. So, I never intended to end the series with Bayonetta 3.”
The franchise’s future is obviously heavily in doubt. But, potentially, it could continue down the road, so we’ll need to see if this witch makes her return “fashionably late,” or, if she arrives, “when she’s ready to show herself again.”
