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Bayonetta 3 still in the works, could launch on Nintendo Switch this year

Aaron Mamiit
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Gamers looking forward to Bayonetta 3 may have been concerned about its absence at the latest Nintendo Direct presentation, but Nintendo offered reassurances that the game is still on track to be released for the Nintendo Switch, possibly even this year.

When rumors started swirling that a Nintendo Direct was on the way, Bayonetta 3 was expected to be a part of the presentation, alongside previously announced games such as Fire Emblem: Three Houses, Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3, Yoshi’s Crafted World, and Daemon X Machina. The Nintendo Direct presentation that was released on February 13 featured all the aforementioned games, except Bayonetta 3.

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There were concerns surrounding the development of the game after the Nintendo Direct presentation, especially with the announcement of Astral Chains, another title from developer Platinum Games. Metroid Prime 4 was recently reported to have restarted development, likely pushing back the game’s release, so Bayonetta fans were worried that the latest installment in the series will suffer the same fate.

Fortunately, Nintendo of America’s senior product marketing manager Bill Trinen clarified matters regarding Bayonetta 3 in the latest episode of the Nintendo Power Podcast, which aired a couple of days after the Nintendo Direct presentation.

“Bayonetta 3 is still in the works… and of course that’s another game that’s maybe coming a little bit sooner than people anticipated.” Trinen said, while discussing things that Nintendo fans may look forward to in 2019.

Trinen did not provide a more specific release window for Bayonetta 3, but for fans of the series, it is enough to know that Platinum Games is targeting roll out soon.

Bayonetta 3 was unveiled at The Game Awards in December 2017 as a Nintendo Switch exclusive,  alongside the ports of Bayonetta and Bayonetta 2 to the hybrid console. Not much is known about Bayonetta 3 aside from its teaser trailer, which showed the titular character apparently struggling in a fight against a spectral figure. There are speculations that Bayonetta 3 will take place before Bayonetta 2, as the Umbra Witch is seen in the teaser sporting her long hair from Bayonetta instead of the bob length from Bayonetta 2. However, it is possible that Bayonetta 3 will happen long after Bayonetta 2, which would have allowed her hair to grow back. Of course, there may be the simple explanation that Bayonetta used magic to re-grow her hair.

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