As any storyteller with inform you, the inspiration for an idea can come from anywhere. It can be something simple or something that naturally flows out of what you’re already doing. The team at PlatinumGames has never been afraid to do things their own way and craft worlds based on their wildest imaginations. Look no further than the Umbra Witch Bayonetta for proof of that. Her trilogy is easily one of the greatest triumphs of the studio. But even with that success, when Bayonetta Origins Cereza and the Lost Demon was announced last year, gamers weren’t sure what to make of it.
Instead of a flashy, over-the-top action game featuring a sassy and seductive protagonist, we were getting a prequel story in fairy tale form featuring the younger, kinder, more naïve Cereza. The game was praised upon its release in March, and many think that this prequel-verse could continue. But how did it get started in the first place? In a chat with Famitsu, the team at Platinum and members of Nintendo sat down and revealed the truth behind Bayonetta Origins. According to studio head Hideki Kamiya, it was a simple suggestion that led to talks of something more:
“It all began when talking with Nintendo about Bayonetta 3. When it came time to release Bayonetta 3, we talked about the idea of planning to add a little something extra. Lots of ideas were thrown around, and Nintendo suggested something along the lines of ‘a Bayonetta prequel minigame’.”
Kamiya admitted that he had already been floating around such an idea internally, but given that Nintendo mentioned a prequel being something they could run with, he knew he couldn’t pass up the opportunity. But he also knew it couldn’t be small. They had to go full force on it.
The Nintendo rep in the interview added that once the full-on game was approved, Nintendo saw the potential of bringing in new gamers who may not have played the original trilogy yet may be drawn to this new idea:
“We wanted to attract people who perhaps didn’t know the series, and people who had once played but since distanced themselves from Bayonetta. With that feeling in mind we began making the game.”
Also, in the interview, Hideki Kamiya stated that he has plenty of ideas on how else to expand the franchise. He called out wanting to do a game starring Jeanne, which almost happened years back. He also talked about an idea of a fighting game featuring Bayonetta and her friends, but that’s not likely to happen.
