'Bayonetta 3' release date: Hideki Kamiya reassures fans they're 'hard at work on development'

The lack of updates about “Bayonetta 3” over the last few months became a cause for concern to some fans speculating that the silence could be an indication of a launch delay. While an exact release date is still unknown, executive director Hideki Kamiya has reassured fans that they are continuously working hard on the game.

Video game fans typically expect developers to push out more updates and teasers once a game is about a year or a few months away from launch. In the case of “Bayonetta 3,” PlatinumGames released its latest trailer last September, and no other major announcements were released in the following months.

In an interview with IGN Japan, Kamiya promised fans that their work on “Bayonetta 3” continues. The director did not give any indication of a possible delay in the interview, which should be a good sign for worrying fans. It is also worth noting that the game is still included in the list of titles launching in 2022 on Nintendo’s financial report released earlier this month.

As for what to expect on “Bayonetta 3,” Kamiya said fans should find enough clues from the latest trailer they released in September. “Hopefully that should reassure you that we have been hard at work on development, and it should also show you that there are a lot of new elements in this game that were not in Bayonetta 1 and 2,” the executive director said.

Kamiya also dismissed speculations that making “Bayonetta 3” a Nintendo Switch-exclusive title would force them to soften the themes they want to portray in the game. Kamiya said that has not been the case and promised that the game will be “a very Bayonetta-esque Bayonetta game.”

With “Bayonetta 3” launching nearly a decade after the second game, new fans might be wondering if they can dive right into the third installment. Kamiya advised against it. He noted that the stories in the first two titles were written in a way that players can start the series with either game, and the same principle was applied to “Bayonetta 3.” However, Kamiya said (translation via VGC), “If you haven’t played the first and second games, I think you’ll be missing out.”