Given how long it’s been since the previous title came out on Wii U, not counting the ports to the Switch, many people were interested in seeing how Bayonetta 3 would do sales-wise. The franchise has never been the biggest of sellers, but it’s also not flopped. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have gotten three games in the line. People have been monitoring the sales of the third title since its launch on the 28th. Currently, both the physical and digital sales look promising. The game is already doing better than the last title did in the UK, and as for digital sales, the Umbra Witch is on top.
It may have taken a while, but a diehard fan noticed that multiple regions with the Nintendo eShop have Bayonetta 3 on top. That includes Japan and now the US. The UK has her in fourth. But as many have noted, her games haven’t always sold that well in that region. Some might think we’re overselling the importance of digital sales, but don’t be fooled. While digital buys might have been a “lower point of income” at first, they’ve now become the norm. Some people only buy digital copies of their favorite games, which also goes for upcoming titles.
Plus, Nintendo has only sometimes been forthcoming with digital sales once they are ready to show off the total numbers. So if the NPD or other numbers seem low, look to see if they account for the digital sales; it’s entirely possible they didn’t.
Viewing this objectively, a worthy sales goal for Bayonetta 3 would be a million within a decent amount of time. For this particular game, that would be a month, if not less. The Switch port of the second game got to a million, but it took some time. With the hype around the third title and the controversy that happened right before the launch, fans have likely already gotten their copy. Or, they could wait for deals like Black Friday before getting theirs. It’ll depend on who’s buying it.
If the game can get to a million before November ends, that would be a success. Of course, many would already call it a success thanks to the raving reviews from critics, but sales matter here. The head of PlatinumGames, Hideki Kamiya, was eternally grateful to Nintendo for letting his team make the third title. They pitched it to the company after a stroke of bad luck, and the Big N was more than happy to let them continue making games for them.
This will likely be the last game Bayonetta is in, but then again, she has a way of reinventing herself every time, so you never know.
Or, maybe PlatinumGames will focus on making more new IPs for the Switch and beyond. Only time will tell.
Source: Twitter