Despite what Bayonetta 3's new in-game nudity toggle may suggest, the franchise isn't in danger of being censored by Nintendo, argued creator Hideki Kamiya.
Hideki Kamiya, executive director at Bayonetta 3 developer PlatinumGames, has taken to social media to defend the game's new "Naive Angel" mode. Revealed earlier in the month, the new mode will toggle in-game nudity so that more players can "fully enjoy" the action game "without having to worry about what's on screen."
Since the original Bayonetta released in 2010, the titular character has had no shortage of discussion around her sexual style and the game's suggestive camera angles, even by us. In the new mode, Bayonetta's clothes will remain on when she performs high-combo attacks, and other characters whose powers work the same way will keep their clothes on as well.
Amidst concerns of publisher-enforced censorship, Kamiya revealed on Twitter that "Naive Angel" came right from the studio, and that Nintendo had no involvement with its creation.
"During our time with the Bayonetta 1 port, and Bayonetta 2 and 3, the only suggestion we received was regarding the Link costume in Bayonetta 1 and 2, and how it should've been a little more revealing," Kamiya tweeted. "No bias influenced that aspect of the game, and I think players can enjoy the game without worrying that it may have been."
"I get the impression that although there are times where we may butt heads," he admitted, "Nintendo is surprisingly open to direct discussions around development and sales.”
Nintendo began a working relationship with Platinum when it published Bayonetta 2 for the Nintendo WiiU in 2014. At the time, Platinum producer Atsushi Inaba freely admitted that had Nintendo not provided extra funding to the studio, Bayonetta 2 would not exist. That relationship continued with Platinum co-developing Star Fox Zero and Star Fox Guard with Nintendo EPD, and Nintendo publishing Platinum's Astral Chain in 2019.
Nintendo is but one of many publishing partners that Platinum has made over the years. In addition to Nintendo and Sega, the studio has made games for Activision, Konami, and Square Enix. In 2020, it self-published a remastered version of its 2013 cult classic, The Wonderful 101, originally published by Nintendo for the WiiU. Its upcoming title, Project GG, will be self-published as well.
Last week, Inaba revealed that Platinum has multiple titles in development, and each one will be released by a different publisher. "Some of these [unreleased titles] are on the brink of production, and some are still in their infancy...we can't say anything because the games are announced by the publisher."
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