The relationships between video game publishers and developers have not always been the best. We can all think of some companies who were rushed to do things by their publishers so that a game could come out. The publishers do it because they constantly want to make a buck and not delay anything further. But the dev team knows that the games aren’t ready for release, so they’re anxious because they’ll be the ones getting the backlash. So when you hear about a developer and publisher working well together, it makes you really happy. Such as the relationship between PlatinumGames and Nintendo. A partnership that just bore another fruit via Bayonetta 3.
The timeline for the game is well known to fans, or at least, in part, it is. Because as we all know, it was first announced in 2017 at The Game Awards and was a big deal. But, obviously, it just came out, so it took five years to get from announcement to release. Why did that happen? Apparently, the developer wanted to show it was coming before real work was done.
As posted by a reliable insider, Hideki Kamiya and the team at PlatinumGames had just been burned big time by Microsoft. They made the dragon game Scalebound for them and had been developing it for years. Then, out of nowhere, the game was canceled. That cancelation almost bankrupted the company, and they were desperate to get things back on track. Thankfully, they had an ace in the hole later that year thanks to Nier Automata, but they couldn’t have known it would be a success at the time.
Hence, right after the loss of the dragon title, Kamiya went to Nintendo to pitch Bayonetta 3:
So that sheds some new light on the timeline. The previous game in the series had done decently on the Wii U, given the number of sold consoles, but the game’s real success was in the critical reception. The original sequel got multiple Game of the Year nominations, so it wasn’t surprising that Nintendo wanted to keep things going with a third title. A title that has already been doing well digitally and got significant fan and critical praise.
While the loss of the Xbox title was a big blow to the company, PlatinumGames not only recovered, they thrived. They not only continued to bring Bayonetta to the Switch but also made another best-selling game via Astral Chain, which many hope will get a sequel soon. Plus, a port of Nier: Automata was recently brought to the Nintendo Switch, hailed as one of the best ports the system has ever had.
The relationship between Platinum and Nintendo is strong, and fans will keep reaping the rewards for as long as it stays that way.
Source: Twitter
