Platinum explains Bayonetta 3 no-show at E3

Platinum Games have confirmed why their newest game in the cult hit series, Bayonetta 3 wasn’t a part of Nintendo Direct E3 2019.

Speaking with The VGC, studio head Atsushi Inaba has confirmed that the game’s development has been progressing well despite not being part of the show, with a desire to focus on the game’s development.

“No, development is actually going quite well. Games aren’t usually done in a year or two… it takes a while. That’s all. Things are going well and I know a lot of people are asking for it. Giving updates for everything at E3 isn’t the smartest PR strategy to begin with, so just because we’re not showing it here doesn’t mean it’s not going well.”

He also confirmed that they have learned from their experiences with PR for the game from its predecessors.

“With Bayonetta 1 and 2 we had basically an orthodox development process, at least for us, we did stage one, then stage two, then stage three and built up the drama and the pacing chronologically. For Bayonetta 3, we can say that we learned enough from making the past two games to change our process in a way that’s different to what I just described.”

Announced at The Game Awards in December 2017, the spectacle fighter continues the story of Umbra Witch Bayonetta. While the series original game didn’t sell well, and the PS3 version had a number technical issues, the 360 version of the game was lauded by the press and gamers alike, especially those with a hunger for games in the vein of Devil May Cry. It’s fast-paced, stylish action along with a strong but controversial female protagonist and its healthy level of difficulty helped it gain a strong following.

Bayonetta 2 almost didn’t happen as the project was dropped by SEGA, only to be picked up by Nintendo and developed exclusively for the Nintendo WiiU. While fans were disappointed that it required a WiiU to play, the game itself was also universally praised. It later received a port to the Nintendo Switch, along with the original Bayonetta as a downloadable title.

Bayonetta herself has also been added to the Smash universe, firstly as a DLC character in Smash 4, and then included in the main roster of the Switch’s Smash ultimate. Her inclusion in the Smash titles was also positively met.