After being announced at 2017’s Game Awards with a teaser trailer, Bayonetta 3 has managed to fly under the radar. Outside of Platinum confirming this year that Bayonetta 3 is still in development, the game has received no additional news since its reveal three years ago.
While we have seen leaks, which suggest the series will be quite different than previous entries, fans are seriously desperate to learn more about this highly-anticipated sequel. Regardless, here’s everything we know about Bayonetta 3, including its release date, gameplay, rumors, leaks and whether or not it has been cancelled.
Bayonetta 3 release date
Bayonetta 3 has not been given an official release date, but considering it was announced three years ago, we could be graced with some additional news soon. However, it’s best to keep expectations a bit lower, as PlatinumGames could possibly be far earlier in development than anticipated.
This is because the company has been working on many projects since Bayonetta 3 was announced. PlatinumGames is working with Square Enix on Babylon’s Fall and is also going to self-publish a mysterious new title directed by Hideki Kamiya called Project G.G. Furthermore, Astral Chain was released in 2019 and likely consumed considerable development time. When it does launch, Bayonetta 3 will be released exclusively to the Nintendo Switch.
Kamiya recently joked about the game’s release date in an interview with VGC, stating “my suggestion would be that maybe we should all reset and forget about Bayonetta 3. Then when something finally does happen, it will be a nice surprise, won’t it?” This comes after not receiving any substantial updates on Bayonetta 3 in over three years. At this point, who knows when we’ll see new footage.
In the same interview, Kamiya said “it’s not really our position to say” in response to when Bayonetta footage would be shown, which might mean it’s entirely up to Nintendo.
Nintendo’s plans for E3 have been confirmed. The company is set to appear at the convention on June 15 at 9 a.m. PT or 12 p.m. ET. Nintendo claims the Direct will focus “exclusively on Nintendo Switch software, so it’s possible that we’ll finally see more of Bayonetta 3 at this event.
Bayonetta 3 gameplay
We haven’t been graced with official gameplay footage for Bayonetta 3, but it will likely play similarly to the rest of the series. Bayonetta has always been about utilizing a handful of complex moves to pull off insane combos and achieve high scores. Additionally, it’s often accompanied by incredibly stylish animations and a combat system revolving around the player’s swift reflexes.
We can also expect a handful of unique enemies and bosses that Bayonetta will have to face off against, hopefully all layered within memorable environments that best utilize the series’ themes.
Bayonetta 3 cancelled
While there hasn’t been any news relating to Bayonetta 3 in nearly three years, hope isn’t completely lost. Bayonetta 3 has officially been confirmed to still be in development by Hideki Kamiya. “I want you guys to take any concerns you have and throw them out the window immediately, because we’re still hard at work on it and it hasn’t been cancelled by any means,” Kamiya said in an interview with Video Games Chronicle.
Whether or not Hideki Kamiya is directing the game is currently unknown, but a Reddit user pointed out that he had tweeted in reply to someone saying that “one of the biggest assholes on the face of the planet is doing” Bayonetta 3. He’s likely referring to himself, as the tweet he responded to directly claimed Kamiya was such a person. However, it’s hard to say whether or not this was a joke. Even if it was serious, it’s unclear whether Kamiya “doing” Bayonetta 3 is in reference to a directors position or some other lead role.
In an interview with Famitsu, Hideki Kamiya once again confirms that Bayonetta 3 is not cancelled. Kamiya says, “many people are worried about Bayonetta 3 considering there hasn’t been any new information since its announcement, but verifications of new systems have been going great and development is going very well, so please wait with peace of mind.”
Bayonetta 3 leaks and rumors
We don’t know much about what Bayonetta 3 will actually look and play like, but there have been leaks that suggest a few things to look forward to. Most interesting is a rumor that states many of the game’s setpieces will take place in outer space and these areas will be presented at a much grander scale than seen in any previous Bayonetta.
This same leak also suggests that Bayonetta 3 intends to present far more “melancholic” themes and will be treating its protagonist differently, with her outfits being less ridiculous than before, and the amount of sexual content will be partially reduced. Furthermore, Bayonetta 3 could be using the same engine seen in NieR: Automata and it’s expected the game will look far better than Bayonetta 2.
Due to Bayonetta 3 not showing up whatsoever at many recent Nintendo Direct presentations, fans are growing impatient. By December of 2020, it’ll have been three years since the game had been announced. Although it’s been confirmed to not be cancelled and that development is “going fine,” fans are beginning to question if it’s actually very far into production.
It’s possible that Bayonetta 3 will be a planned launch for the heavily rumored Nintendo Switch Pro console. Nintendo might be wanting to prepare a solid launch line-up for this more powerful Switch edition, which could be why it has been nearly three years since we’ve seen anything relating to Bayonetta 3.
