For PlatinumGames, the most frustrating part about bringing Bayonetta 2 exclusively to Wii U has been addressing the mountain of complaints from fans who want a port on their console of choice or for the Wii U to just not get the game at all. Various Platinum staffers have gone on record to explain the situation, but that hasn't stemmed the tide. Now it's original Bayonetta director Hideki Kamiya who has stepped up to the plate once again.
Kamiya is perhaps one of the more outspoken figures in the game industry — his curt, often swear-laden replies on his Twitter page are the stuff of industry legend. He recently posted a sequence of tweets on the subject of Bayonetta 2 and how it came to be. Nintendo Everything gathered those tweets, obtained English translations, and shared the complete transcript:
I think I have discussed this many times before but here goes… First of all, we [Platinum Games] are developers and receive support from publishers by making games that they request or suggest.
As for Bayonetta, we developed the game after signing a deal with SEGA. Later it was decided to also develop the sequel, so we started working on Bayonetta 2.
When development had progressed to a certain degree, in SEGA’s situation it turned into “This isn’t a good plan”, so development halted temporarily.
Without funding we didn’t have the possibility to continue development, but we wanted to get this partially developed Bayonetta 2 available to the public one way or another. So we offered it to various publishers, but as it is a big title, we couldn’t find a partner company. Finally, Bayonetta 2 was about to get terminated completely, when…
Nintendo came in and lent a hand and we were able to restart the development we so desired. Finally the game was released last week, so in five years, we were able to make Bayonetta 2 available to the public.
Knowing those circumstances, if someone is still angry for heading towards Nintendo, I wonder what’s the reason for that, wouldn’t you tell me in a way that is easy to understand?
As I have said earlier, if you want Bayonetta 2 on PS4 or Xbox One, how about trying to ask Nintendo… If Nintendo doesn’t say yes, it’s not going to happen… While you’re at it, try asking for Mario and Zelda too…
I don't think you can get much more clear than that. If even a fraction of the complainers and port beggars get off of Platinum's case after reading these, Kamiya will have succeeded.
Bayonetta 2 arrives for Wii U on October 24. It'll include a free copy of the original Bayonetta.
