The future of the Bayonetta franchise is a big question heading into the Nintendo Switch 2 era. For more than 10 years now, the series has seen regular releases on Nintendo platforms. However, Bayonetta creator Hideki Kamiya left PlatinumGames in 2023, and there’s no word on whether the series will continue without him. Prior to his departure from the developer, it seems Kamiya was interested in continuing the series, and even had some plans in mind for Bayonetta 4. In a new video on this YouTube channel (via Nintendo Everything), Kamiya has touched on some of those plans, and how they would have built on the ending of Bayonetta 3.
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“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,” said Kamiya. “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.”
Kamiya went on to talk about the villain in Bayonetta 3, Singularity. The director notes that while some players felt that Singularity’s storyline wasn’t as fleshed out as they’d like, many elements were there from the first game in the series, including the multiverse. Kamiya notes that’s “a theme I want to keep exploring. I hope I get another chance to share that with everyone.” Whether that means touching on the multiverse in another Bayonetta game, or in a totally different title, remains to be seen.
Bayonetta 3 was not the final game released in the series. Following the game’s Nintendo Switch debut in 2022, PlatinumGames and Nintendo released Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon in 2023. Kamiya notes that he had hoped this spin-off would continue as its own series, with director Abebe Tinari continuing alongside him. Kamiya says that he “didn’t want it to stop with just that one story.” Not only has Kamiya left PlatinumGames to work on the Okami sequel at Clovers, but Tinari also left the developer, joining Housemarque and development on Saros for PS5. It doesn’t help that Kamiya has also shared his desire to resurrect Scalebound after his current project; if that were to pan out, he could be busy for the foreseeable future!
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The Bayonetta franchise is not owned by Nintendo, but the company funded and published Bayonetta 2, Bayonetta 3, and Bayonetta Origins. On top of all that, Bayonetta herself has appeared in the Super Smash Bros. franchise. The company has clearly invested a lot in the series, so it will be interesting to see what happens in the future. It’s entirely possible Nintendo and PlatinumGames could continue on without Kamiya, or offer some kind of Switch 2 enhanced version of Bayonetta 3 to tide fans over until the director has a chance to come back. For now, fans will just have to be happy with the current trilogy.
Would you like to see the Bayonetta series continue on? Do you think Nintendo and PlatinumGames should continue without Kamiya? Share your thoughts with me directly on Bluesky at @Marcdachamp, or on Instagram at @Dachampgaming!
