The full history of PlatinumGames and especially the Bayonetta series has been undeniably quite shaky. From Sega’s cancellation of Bayonetta 2 leading to the series being picked up by Nintendo, to the notoriously long silence surrounding Bayonetta 3, there’s been more than a few moments of uncertainty surrounding them. For a while at least it seemed as if things were mellowing out, however, the past couple years have seen that not be the case at all.
One of the first major shocks was the departure of Hideki Kamiya, the co-founder and vice-president of the studio, in late 2023. At the 2024 Game Awards, it was revealed that Kamiya went on to found a new studio called Clover, with speculation that other former Platinum staff could be joining him. That suspicion may hold up, as in a recent video shared by Kamiya, he confirmed five additional staff who have left. This includes Metal Gear Rising director Kenji Saito, Astral Chain director Takahisa Taura, Resident Evil character designer Masaki Yamanaka, Bayonetta Origins director Abebe Tinari, and even Bayonetta 3’s director Yusuke Miyata. While it is not yet known if they do intend to join Kamiya at Clover, it is undeniably a hard hit for Platinum.
The future of PlatinumGames
PlatinumGames has remained relatively silent ever since Kamiya departed, sharing little in terms of future projects and not conducting interviews. That being said, a statement was shared as part of the announcement of Bayonetta’s 15th anniversary celebration in which they stated “Moving forward, we will continue to take on new challenges to create games that surprise and delight our fans. We look forward to your continued support of Bayonetta and PlatinumGames!” While it seems uncertain now where the future of PlatinumGames may lie, there remains hope that the studio will be able to pick itself back up and keep on going for years to come.
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Written by Abbie Maxwell
Lifelong Nintendo fangirl, Abbie holds a special place in her heart for video games. She has always strived to provide tips and tricks to make the experiences of those who share her passions that much better.
