PlatinumGames has shared their first message since Capcom announced the Okami sequel with Hideki Kamiya.
They made this announcement on their website:
“Bayonetta was released in Japan on October 29, 2009, and worldwide in January 2010. Starting from today, we would like to celebrate this momentous occasion with everyone around the world – and officially kick-off our special “Bayonetta 15th Anniversary Year” lasting for one full year. Keep an eye on our social media channels and this page to stay up to date on the various announcements we have planned!”
They also shared this message for Bayonetta’s anniversary:
“Thanks to everyone’s support, Bayonetta has now reached the 15th anniversary of its release. It is because of you, our fans, that we are able to celebrate this special milestone. Please let us use this opportunity to express our heartfelt gratitude!
Since its inception, PlatinumGames has continued to push the boundaries of action games. In 2009, we were able to deliver a brand-new action experience with the release of Bayonetta, which is a title that we are still very proud of to this day.
Over the past 15 years, we have been able to walk alongside Bayonetta and the series’ charming cast of characters. Bringing joy to so many people through Bayonetta has been an invaluable journey for us.
Moving forward, we will continue to take on new challenges to create games that surprise and delight our fans. We look forward to your continued support of Bayonetta and PlatinumGames!
From everyone at PlatinumGames”
PlatinumGames also already revealed part of their anniversary celebration, with the first calendar images they will share for fans to use as wallpapers on their Twitter. The image shows Cereza and Jeanne wearing some festival kimonos under the moonlight.
The elephant in the room in PlatinumGames’ messaging is that it does not name any developer head, past or present. It is of course public knowledge that Kamiya resigned the company over a year ago, but word also spread last December that the most famous game developer leads in the company had also left.
But as we reported then, Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon director Abebe Tinari confirmed he left the studio, and pointed out that even with everyone who left, the people who remain at PlatinumGames are still the same staff who made their beloved games like Bayonetta.
Indeed, this message seems to be PlatinumGames’ modest way of reasserting that they very much still exist as a studio in their own right, and they can still make Bayonetta games after Kamiya, or make new IPs of their own. We’ll see if PlatinumGames decides to talk about the situation in the studio behind the scenes. But all that talk that the studio was done, in the same way gamers said Metal Gear was done, may have been premature.
