PlatinumGames CEO Atsushi Inaba has said the company isn’t done with Bayonetta. The action hero who quad-wields guns and summons monsters with her hair last saw a mainline title back in 2022 with Bayonetta 3, with a spin-off entitled Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon following the next year. Most of the core Bayonetta development team has departed from PlatinumGames over the years, including staff such as Resident Evil character designer Masaki Yamanaka, Metal Gear Rising director Kenji Saito, and Astral Chain director Takahisa Taura. Similarly, original director Hideki Kamiya has also departed, founding the new studio Clovers, which is working with Capcom on Okami 2, a sequel to his 2006 action-adventure title.
The continuation of the franchise would make sense. Despite a more tepid response to the third game in the series, when compared to the second, the game was reviewed fairly well. Beyond that, the title managed to achieve 1 million sales in 2 months as a Nintendo Switch exclusive, which is considered a strong showing. The issue here is more one of ownership. Bayonetta is owned by both SEGA and Nintendo, who published the first and second games, respectively. Nintendo had exclusivity for the second and third games. This could remain the case going forward, but it requires Nintendo signing off on another title if they want to actually make one.
In an interview with Famitsu, translated via VGC, Inaba spoke about the future of PlatinumGames following the departures of so many key members. When speaking specifically about Bayonetta, he stated:
I can’t really answer that right now.
We have a strong desire to further develop the character of Bayonetta and expand her world. Please look forward to seeing what form that takes in the future.
The implication is that while the character might remain relevant, it might not be as straightforward as Bayonetta 4. This makes sense given that the interview was in part with Shift Up’s Hyung-tae Kim, meant to promote the upcoming crossover event between Bayonetta and Stellar Blade that is coming to Nintendo Switch 2 when the latter releases on November 5, 2026.
Fans are awaiting a return to the action-oriented world of the gun-toting witch; need not fret, though, as the studio is still crafting high-octane titles, such as last year’s Ninja Gaiden 4, which they developed in conjunction with Team Ninja. Currently, PlatinumGames is developing Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin following the cancelation of Black Forest’s version of the game.
Warner Bros. and Paramount are now set to close a $110 billion merger, with the signing expected tomorrow, October 6. They will then go under the label Skydance, with control of IP’s like Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Game of Thrones, Batman, and TMNT. Typical of these big mergers are cancellations, and previously the film adaptation og The Last Ronan was put on hold indefinitely. It remains to be seen if PlatinumGames ‘ darker Turtles story will survive potential cuts.
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