Licensing lessons in 280 characters
A lot of people are proper miffed at the exclusivity deal on the upcoming Bayonetta 3. The third run-around for the sultry witch will be released only on the Switch, with many fans complaining that the third game, much like its predecessor, won’t be grace non-Nintendo platforms.
Probably getting a little tired of being @’ed about this matter on a daily basis, series creator Hideki Kamiya decided to explain the history of the frenzied-action franchise and what has gotten Bayonetta to this point. On Twitter, the modern millennial classroom, Kamiya began his 15 tweet history lecture.
Kamiya’s notes on the matter can be read below but, essentially, Nintendo are hugely responsible for the series’ continued existence. Though Sega got the original Bayonetta off the ground, it was Nintendo that put the cash in for the game’s second and third sequel, with Bayonetta 2 facing cancellation after Sega had to pull their funding.
The straightest way of putting it, when you take out all the jive, is simply that Nintendo paid for the games to be made, and they want them on their consoles. It’s pretty straight-forward, and an unsurprising business decision. The Bayonetta franchise is very popular, and of course it sucks when a title you want isn’t on “your” format, but unfortunately that’s how the industry chooses to play the game sometimes.
Bayonetta 3 is currently in development for release on Nintendo Switch
I’ve got something I want to tell you all. It’s about Bayonetta 3. (1/15)
— 神谷英樹 Hideki Kamiya (@PG_kamiya) February 13, 2018
We are a developer that creates games by signing contracts with publishers and receiving funds from them in order to cover development costs. (2/15)
— 神谷英樹 Hideki Kamiya (@PG_kamiya) February 13, 2018
For Bayonetta 1, we signed a contract with Sega and received funds from them, then we proposed a design for the game and entered production. All of the rights belong to Sega. (3/15)
— 神谷英樹 Hideki Kamiya (@PG_kamiya) February 13, 2018
At the time, our company had only just been established, and we weren’t properly equipped for multiplatform development, so after discussing with Sega, we decided to develop the game exclusively for Xbox 360. (4/15)
— 神谷英樹 Hideki Kamiya (@PG_kamiya) February 13, 2018
However, after that, one of Sega’s trading partners ended up making a port for PS3, at Sega’s behest. More recently, they also decided that a Steam version should be developed, which was released last year. Sega owns the rights to all of these versions. (5/15)
— 神谷英樹 Hideki Kamiya (@PG_kamiya) February 13, 2018
When we started making Bayonetta 2, we initially received funds from Sega to develop the game for multiple platforms, but the project was halted due to circumstances at Sega. Nintendo then stepped in to continue funding the game, allowing us to finish it. (6/15)
— 神谷英樹 Hideki Kamiya (@PG_kamiya) February 13, 2018
As such, the rights belong to Sega and Nintendo. The rights owners decided the game should be made for Wii U. (7/15)
— 神谷英樹 Hideki Kamiya (@PG_kamiya) February 13, 2018
Nintendo was also kind enough to fund a port of Bayo 1 for Wii U, and they even allowed us to use the Japanese voice track we created for the Wii U version in the PC version of Bayo 1 as well. (8/15)
— 神谷英樹 Hideki Kamiya (@PG_kamiya) February 13, 2018
I am extremely thankful to Nintendo for funding the game, and to Sega for allowing them to use the Bayonetta IP. (9/15)
— 神谷英樹 Hideki Kamiya (@PG_kamiya) February 13, 2018
As for Bayonetta 3, it was decided from the start that the game was going to be developed using Nintendo’s funding. Without their help, we would not have been able to kick off this project. (10/15)
— 神谷英樹 Hideki Kamiya (@PG_kamiya) February 13, 2018
All of the rights still belong to Sega and Nintendo. The rights owners decided that the game should be made for Switch. (11/15)
— 神谷英樹 Hideki Kamiya (@PG_kamiya) February 13, 2018
Game development is a business. Each company has its own circumstances and strategies. Sometimes this means games get made, sometimes it means they get cancelled. (12/15)
— 神谷英樹 Hideki Kamiya (@PG_kamiya) February 13, 2018
But I believe that every single person involved is dedicated to delivering the best possible experience. I know that, to me at least, that’s one of the biggest goals when I set to work. (13/15)
— 神谷英樹 Hideki Kamiya (@PG_kamiya) February 13, 2018
I cannot express how happy I am that we get to make Bayonetta 3, and we intend to do everything within our power to make it as good as it can be. That’s all we can do, and we consider it our greatest mission. (14/15)
— 神谷英樹 Hideki Kamiya (@PG_kamiya) February 13, 2018
It took a while for production of Bayonetta 3 to be okayed, but now that it has kicked off, I hope it will turn into a wonderful encounter for all of you. (15/15)
— 神谷英樹 Hideki Kamiya (@PG_kamiya) February 13, 2018
