Hideki Kamiya had big plans for the series
Hideki Kamiya, the director of the Bayonetta series, wanted to make nine entries in the franchise and has stated that he should probably avoid working with other well-known Japanese game developers.
Kamiya announced his surprise departure from PlatinumGames, the studio he helped co-found with Resident Evil legend Shinji Mikami, earlier this year in September. Now, a few months after his departure and with a little more time on his hands, the veteran developer has responded to some Bayonetta fan questions.
“I wonder what’s gonna happen to the Bayonetta franchise now,” one fan asked in the video below. “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 said. “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 added.
To date, there have been four Bayonetta games, and Kamiya has worked on all of them. The long-awaited Bayonetta 3 was released in 2022, while the prequel adventure Bayonetta Origins took things in a more puzzle-oriented direction earlier this year.
In another segment of the video, Kamiya discusses the possibility of working with other veterans such as Yoko Taro or Hideo Kojima, which he says he is frequently asked about. “It doesn’t work like in Dragon Ball, where Goku fuses with other characters,” Kamiya explained, adding 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 adds. Perhaps it’s best for video game fans in general to stop pleading with famous developers to collaborate. Kamiya is correct: they are real people, not cartoon characters or fantasy football players.
Returning to Bayonetta for a moment, Kamiya revealed before leaving PlatinumGames that Bayonetta 4 was in the works. Kamiya stated in 2022 that it would be an “unexpected development for everyone,” but he didn’t reveal anything else about the game before leaving the studio earlier this year. Development may continue without Kamiya.