Platinum Games’ JP Kellams made quite the statement about Bayonetta 2 port begging, essentially accusing gamers of just not wanting the game on Wii U. He made this statement in a Q&A following a talk for the UCF’s Center for Emerging Media regarding his path into gaming.
Kellams talked at length about how he entered the industry, switching his studies from game development to learning Japanese. He shifted gears because he wanted to be in a position where he could champion Japanese games in Western markets. He also gave advice about what kids should do so that they could also enter the industry.
Interestingly enough, the person who asked the question said they worked with EA, and had a different mentality regarding development. Their question involved how Bayonetta moved publishers (Sega to Nintendo) and platforms (Xbox 360 to Wii U) for Bayonetta 2. He also commented on how they effectively left the established fanbase behind by doing so.
Initially, Kellams pointed out again that Nintendo ‘white knighted’ the project, and so it would not exist without their intervention. However, he elaborated his thoughts further when pressed about how they planned to market it.
Kellams argues that it’s hard to fight against Mario, and so one would want Nintendo to be publishing their game if they are publishing on Nintendo’s platform. Kellams then talks about Platinum’s desire to ensure Bayonetta 2 survive, so much so that he’s convinced the world will be a better place with it.
And then he talks about the port begging. Kellams reveals that he receives complaints about Bayonetta 2 ports all the time, 1st on Xbox 360 and Playstation 3, and when those came out, on Xbox One and Playstation 4. As he puts it, it’s not about buying a piece of hardware. It’s that these gamers don’t want it on Wii U.
Kellams concludes that he can understand if some gamers don’t want a Wii U for whatever reason, but Platinum feels they made the right decision to ensure the game survived.
I would point out here that really, Bayonetta fans missing the game on Xbox and Playstation need to ask Microsoft and Sony why they didn’t want to fund Platinum’s game. They bankrolled projects like Knack, Ryse, The Order: 1886, and Titanfall, so it’s not like they were lacking for funding to dole out. Platinum also rarely made games for Nintendo prior to this, with their last major projects being Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance and Anarchy Reigns. I dare say, one has to wonder if Sony or Microsoft even wanted the sequel.
Image is from Bayonetta 2.
