PlatinumGames has assured fans that the development of Bayonetta 3 for the Nintendo Switch is progressing smoothly, despite the lack of updates over the past few years. Bayonetta 3 was announced for the Nintendo Switch during the 2017 Game Awards, with a brief trailer that showed Bayonetta being overpowered in combat by an unseen foe.
There has been no new footage released of Bayonetta 3 since 2017, though the higher-ups at PlatinumGames have mentioned the game in several interviews since. Recent developments at PlatinumGames have caused fans to question the future of the game, as the company has moved into self-publishing with the help of an investment from Tencent. It has been explained that PlatinumGames doesn't own any of its IPs under its current publishing agreements, which is why it's becoming a publisher instead. PlatinumGames has since launched a successful Kickstarter for The Wonderful 101: Remastered, so the company's dreams of being its own publisher could very well become a reality.
The recent activity surrounding PlatinumGames' business ventures has led fans to worry about the progress of the games that are currently being developed by the company. Atsushi Inaba and Hideki Kamiya have discussed Bayonetta 3 during an interview with Famitsu magazine. According to Ryokutya2089, Kamiya has said that the development of Bayonetta 3 is progressing smoothly, even though there haven't been any major updates since 2017. He also said there were hidden clues in the original 2017 trailer that fans can look for in the meantime.
Bayonetta has become associated with the Nintendo brand since the release of Bayonetta 2 on the Wii U and her appearances in the Super Smash Bros. series, but that might not always be the case in the future. PlatinumGames would love to self-publish the Bayonetta series, but the company would need to untangle it from Nintendo and Sega. If PlatinumGames is able to accomplish this, then Bayonetta could return to Microsoft and PlayStation systems in the future.
The Nintendo Switch has had a remarkable record when it comes to games being released on time, especially when considering all of the high profile delays over the past few months. There are still a few holdouts from the early days of the system that fans know little about, including Metroid Prime 4 and Shin Megami Tensei V, which have rarely been mentioned since their announcement. Bayonetta 3 is one of these games as well, and fans have been left disappointed by its absence from every Nintendo Direct over the past few years. Big things are happening at PlatinumGames at the moment, and fans can only hope Bayonetta's latest adventure isn't lost in the shuffle.
Bayonetta 3 is in development now for Nintendo Switch.
Source: Famitsu (via Ryokutya2089)