Making Bayonetta almost destroyed Platinum Games

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But now it’s stronger than ever

Back in September,GameSpotsubmerged itself in the depths of Platinum Games. It has now emerged with a treasure trove of details about all of the work going into the studio’s upcoming games, such as Nier: Automata, Star Fox Zero, and Scalebound. Executive Director Atsushi Inaba also spoke about the developer’s history and the trials and tribulations that led to its previous titles.

When reminiscing about Bayonetta, Inaba does not look back with rose-tinted glasses: “At the end of development on Bayonetta, nobody was happy. Everybody was really frustrated and angry, and we pushed really hard to finish that game and asked too much, and then asked even more of the team and of each other.” Inaba continued: “At the end, nobody was like, ‘Oh yay. We got it finished.’ Everybody was like, ‘We’re never doing that again,’ and at each other’s throats. It was a very negative vibe that I still remember to this day.”

GameSpot added that “[Inaba] looks a bit lost as he tells the story. The concern for his team is evident in his voice; Bayonetta‘s development nearly broke Platinum Games.”

After playing Bayonetta, it’s easy to imagine how difficult it would be to make something so airtight without becoming bitter. Knowing this, it’s even more incredible that the company decided to go on and make a (somehow even better) sequel. Inaba says that Platinum “compromised on nothing…[and] aimed for the moon,” which feels pretty evident to me.

Anyway, check out the rest of that Platinum article. There’s some good stuff in there.

Inside Platinum Games: Japan’s Most Unique Game Development Studio[GameSpot]