Bayonetta: Atsushi Inaba wants to expand the series, but no new game is confirmed
PlatinumGames president Atsushi Inaba says he wants to expand Bayonetta’s world, but he does not confirm a new entry.
- The comments came in a Famitsu interview centered on a Bayonetta crossover for Stellar Blade Complete Edition on Switch 2, which reports say is planned for November 2026.
- Shift Up CEO and Stellar Blade director Hyung-tae Kim called Bayonetta an essential work in his life and said he held back while designing the Bayonetta-inspired Black Dress outfit.
What happened
In an interview with Famitsu, PlatinumGames president Atsushi Inaba said he would like to further expand Bayonetta and broaden the world of the series. According to the reporting, this was presented as a wish rather than an official announcement of a new entry or any other concrete project.
The comments surfaced in a conversation about a Bayonetta crossover for Stellar Blade Complete Edition on Switch 2. That collaboration is linked in the reporting to a release in November 2026. When asked about a possible next Bayonetta game, Inaba reportedly gave no details and answered with a wait-and-see response.
On the other side of the conversation, Shift Up CEO and Stellar Blade director Hyung-tae Kim spoke at length about his appreciation for Bayonetta. Through machine translation, he called the series an “essential work in my life” and said it is one of his three favorite games. He also said he had to restrain himself while designing the Bayonetta-inspired Black Dress outfit so it would not go too far.
Kim Hyung-tae also half-jokingly said he would like to design characters for a future Bayonetta game himself. PlatinumGames and Shift Up have not turned that into a new project, and based on the available reporting, Bayonetta’s future remains unclear.
Timeline
2022: Bayonetta 3 launches on Nintendo Switch.
October 2023: Hideki Kamiya leaves PlatinumGames and later starts Clovers.
2024: Atsuko Tanaka, the Japanese voice of Bayonetta, dies.
2026-10-04: Famitsu publishes the interview in which Atsushi Inaba says he wants to expand Bayonetta without confirming a new game.
November 2026: According to the reporting, the Bayonetta crossover for Stellar Blade Complete Edition on Switch 2 is scheduled.
Background
Bayonetta is a franchise jointly owned by Sega and Nintendo, according to the sources. That makes any possible sequel dependent on multiple parties, while PlatinumGames has also seen several key Bayonetta-era names depart.
Hideki Kamiya, the creator of Bayonetta, left PlatinumGames in October 2023. The reporting also notes that Bayonetta 3 director Yusuke Miyata has since left PlatinumGames as well. IGN additionally cites departing PlatinumGames staff members Masaki Yamanaka, Kenji Saito, Takahisa Taura, and Yusuke Hashimoto as background for the uncertainty around a follow-up.
The most recent mainline release mentioned in the sources is Bayonetta 3 from 2022. Based on the available information, there is no confirmation of a new Bayonetta game, remake, or spin-off.
Sources
- Eurogamer: PlatinumGames on Bayonetta and comments from Atsushi Inaba and Hyung-tae Kim
- Nintendo Life: summary of the Famitsu interview comments about Bayonetta
- IGN: background on the franchise, ownership structure, and the departure of key PlatinumGames staff
- My Nintendo News: additional reporting on expanding Bayonetta and her world