PlatinumGames wants to keep Bayonetta going despite key staff departures

PlatinumGames CEO Atsushi Inaba has confirmed the studio still wants to continue the Bayonetta series, even as several of the franchise's key creators have moved on. Speaking to Famitsu in an interview tied to the Stellar Blade Bayonetta crossover event on Nintendo Switch 2, Inaba said: "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 road ahead is complicated. Original series director Hideki Kamiya left Platinum and founded Clovers to make Okami 2. Bayonetta 2 director Yusuke Hashimoto is now at Capcom, where he recently worked on Onimusha: Way of the Sword. Other notable departures include Resident Evil character designer Masaki Yamanaka, Metal Gear Rising director Kenji Saito, and Astral Chain director Takahisa Taura. On top of the talent drain, the IP itself is co-owned by Sega and Nintendo — Sega published the first game, Nintendo published the second as a Wii U exclusive, and Bayonetta 3 landed on Switch in 2022. Any new entry would require both companies to be on board.

Platinum's most recent release is Ninja Gaiden 4, a Team Ninja collaboration that launched October 21, 2025 on PS5, Xbox Series, and PC. Next up is Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin, an action-adventure game based on the cult comic, announced at Summer Game Fest in June 2026 after Black Forest Games' version was canceled. That project now sits under a cloud: publisher Paramount is merging with Warner Bros. into a new entity called Skydance in a $110 billion deal expected to close October 6, 2026, and Paramount's own live-action Last Ronin film was already put on hold before the merger finalized.

Inaba stopped short of announcing anything concrete for Bayonetta, saying only that he "can't really answer that right now." Whether the series gets a fourth entry — and on what platform — depends on negotiations between at least two major publishers and a studio navigating both a talent reshuffle and an uncertain slate. Fans will be watching closely for any signal from Sega or Nintendo.