Hideki Kamiya, former Vice President of PlatinumGames, is among the most respected video game creators in the industry with plenty of iconic works under his belt, such as Resident Evil 2, Okami, Devil May Cry, and the troubled Bayonetta. Speaking of which, it appears that the future for Bayonetta is looking more uncertain because Kamiya’s recent reunion with PlatinumGames devs means the franchise has lost even more creative heads.
For those unaware, Hideki Kamiya started his own YouTube channel and has been posting some Q&A sessions with the gaming community. In his most recent Q&A, however, Kamiya also included his reunion with several PlatinumGames developers. Two of the aforementioned devs notably worked on Bayonetta, specifically Abebe Tinari of Bayonetta Origins and Yusuke Miyata of Bayonetta 3.
Abebe Tinari notably confirmed his moving on from PlatinumGames earlier in January after he updated his LinkedIn profile. Meanwhile, Yusuke Miyata leaving PlatinumGames is a new departure which means– once again, PlatinumGames has lost a Bayonetta developer.
The other PlatinumGames devs who resigned and joined the Bayonetta creator’s get-together would be Masaki Yamanaka of Anarchy Reigns, Takahisa Taura of Astral Chain, Kenji Saito of Metal Gear Rising. Thus, Hideki Kamiya’s drinking party clip reveal also doubled as some kind of announcement that PlatinumGames has lost even more veteran talent.
Kamiya remains optimistic for the former PlatinumGames employees, however, being one himself. He even gave a good parting message for them:
“Games are made by people. Wherever they go from here, they’ll create things that only they can… please look forward to their work!,” says Hideki Kamiya
For reference, Kamiya is now working on Okami 2, or the sequel to Okami, in his newly re-established Clover Studio, which is a subsidiary of Capcom. The Bayonetta creator didn’t clarify whether his former PlatinumGames colleagues will be working with him. Abebe Tinari, for example, has moved on to the Finnish Housemarque studio, which is a subsidiary of Sony.
What’s Next for Bayonetta & Platinum Games?
Sadly, Kamiya’s words likely do not mean anything for Bayonetta or a prospective follow-up as the franchise is still owned by PlatinumGames despite its constant troubles with talent. PlatinumGames notably announced that it has something in store for Bayonetta since the franchise is now on its 15th anniversary.
Recently, PlatinumGames also canceled its previously announced “Project G.G.,” which it once touted as “the powerful climax to the Hideki Kamiya superhero trilogy.” Given the circumstances in PlatinumGames and Hideki Kamiya’s sudden reunion with former PlatinumGames devs, it would be fair to expect even more canceled projects or even a postponement for whatever they have planned for Bayonetta.
