Bayonetta 3 is currently in development, which is incredibly exciting. One small detail that has fans up in arms is the game’s Nintendo Switch exclusivity. The creator of the Bayonetta series, Hideki Kamiya, apparently decided that enough was enough and he had to voice the reasons why it is only on one platform.
Taking to Twitter, Kamiya gave a very brief history of the Bayonetta franchise. That, in turn, melded into an explanation of why Bayonetta 3 is going to be a Nintendo Switch exclusive. He concluded his 15-part Twitter rant with the sentiments that he, Nintendo, and Sega want to make Bayonetta 3 the best it possibly can be. So fans should be able to relax a little, and enjoy the game, rather than stress about what console it’s releasing on. At the very least, I suppose you could always borrow a Switch from a friend. (I mean, if Nintendo has their way, everyone will have one.)
As far as the specifics of what Kamiya had to say, Bayonetta was owned by Sega. They wanted to make the first game exclusively for Xbox 360. However, in the years following, Sega still owned the rights and found it prudent to make PlayStation 3 and PC versions of the game. As far as Bayonetta 2 was concerned, it was originally being paid for by Sega. They had to cancel it, at which time Nintendo stepped in to continue funding. Now both of these companies owned the rights to the Bayonetta franchise. With the second one, they decided together that it would be made for the Wii U. At that point, Nintendo ported Bayonetta to the Wii U as well.
When Bayonetta 3 ‘s development came around, Nintendo decided to put up the money. Between Nintendo and Sega (the co-owners of the rights), they decided that the Nintendo Switch exclusivity would be best for them. Thus, Bayonetta 3 is going to release only for the Switch, because companies have to make decisions that work best for them. And video game developers need to work with those companies because they don’t have the money to make the games themselves.
Are you still salty about Bayonetta ‘s exclusivity, even knowing the reason behind it?
Source: Hideki Kamiya via Destructoid