Bayonetta series director Hideki Kamiya wanted to make nine entries in the franchise, and has suggested he probably shouldn't work with other famed Japanese game developers.
Earlier this year in September, Kamiya announced his surprise exit from PlatinumGames, the studio he helped co-found with Resident Evil legend Shinji Mikami, after 16 years. Now, a few months after his departure and with a bit more time on his hands, the veteran developer has answered some fan queries about Bayonetta.
"I wonder what's gonna happen to the Bayonetta franchise now," asks one fan in the video below (which is read aloud by Kamiya in flawless English). "As I explained before, I worked on Bayonetta 1, 2, 3, and Origins" Kamiya said, "I've talked about this in various interviews, that the Bayonetta series would consist of a total of nine episodes."
"I wanted to grow the franchise as the Bayonetta 'Saga,' but it seems like I may have to take the full saga to the grave with me," Kamiya adds. "It's a shame. I don't own the Bayonetta IP, but I suppose those who do will probably keep it going," the former PlatinumGames co-founder continues.
There have been four Bayonetta games to date, and Kamiya has had a hand in all of them. The most recent mainline entry was the long-awaited Bayonetta 3 in 2022, while prequel adventure Bayonetta Origins took things in a more puzzler-oriented direction earlier this year.
Elsewhere in the video, Kamiya addresses the possibility of working with other veterans like Yoko Taro or Hideo Kojima, which he apparently gets asked about a lot. "It doesn't work like in Dragon Ball, where Goku fuses with other characters," said Kamiya, adding with a slight smile that it would be a "disaster."
"Two people with completely different personalities and ideas would clash. There's no way you'd get a good game from that," he continues. Perhaps it's best for fans of video games in general to stop asking famed developers to team up. Kamiya's got a point: they're real people, not cartoon characters or players in a fantasy football team.
Returning to Bayonetta itself for a second, Kamiya actually let slip before departing PlatinumGames that Bayonetta 4 was in development. Kamiya said last year in 2022 that it would be an "unexpected development for everyone," but didn't say anything more about the game before departing the studio earlier this year. It could well be continuing in development without Kamiya.
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