'We Have a Strong Desire to Further Develop the Character of Bayonetta' — PlatinumGames Isn't Done With the Gun Witch
tags:PlatinumGames CEO Atsushi Inaba said he isn’t done with Bayonetta, the studio’s character action series featuring a witch equipped with gun shoes and weaponized hair. While many of the original developers at Platinum have left — including original game director Hideki Kamiya, who started a new studio called Clovers to make Okami 2 — the Osaka-based studio wants to keep the series going.
As well as Kamiya, other notable leavers include Resident Evil character designer Masaki Yamanaka, Metal Gear Rising director Kenji Saito, and Astral Chain director Takahisa Taura. Bayonetta 2 director Yusuke Hashimoto left Platinum to work at Capcom, where he recently helped the combat shine in Onimusha: Way of the Sword.
Even outside of the exodus, things aren’t as simple as just making another one. The Bayonetta series is co-owned by Sega and Nintendo, who published the first and second games respectively. The sequel was a Nintendo Wii U exclusive and has since only been ported to Nintendo Switch. Bayonetta 3 came to Switch in 2022.
In an interview with Famitsu, via VGC, Inaba spoke for the first time about PlatinumGames’ aims since the departure of key staff members. When asked about the future of Bayonetta, he said: “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 interview was a promotional partnership between Inaba and Shift-Up boss Hyung-tae Kim, to promote Stellar Blade’s Bayonetta crossover event on Nintendo Switch 2. PlatinumGames' last released game is Ninja Gaiden 4, a collaboration with Team Ninja which launched on October 21, 2025, for PS5, Xbox Series consoles, and PC.
Next up, PlatinumGames is working on Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin, an action-adventure game based on a popular comic. A partnership with Paramount, the game was announced at Summer Game Fest in June 2026 after the original version by Black Forest Games was canceled.
Warner Bros and Paramount have now merged into a single behemoth called Skydance, in a deal worth $110 billion. The deal is expected to close tomorrow, October 6, 2026. Once closed, Skydance will hold the keys to Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Game of Thrones, Batman, The Sopranos, Star Trek, and more.
Usually there are casualties after a large merger, and Paramount's live-action, R-rated movie adaptation of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin was already put on hold prior to the companies joining hands and getting a joint bank account. It remains to be seen if PlatinumGames’ next project survives the storm.
Kirk McKeand is a Contributor on IGN News. Find him on Twitter @MckKirk
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