Gamers have been reassured that there's plenty of exclusive content in the works for Wii U that will be arriving after the console's initial launch window, and one of the biggest platform exclusives is scheduled to come in the form of Bayonetta 2. During the same conference that Nintendo announced the price and release date for its Wii U console, the company confirmed that the sequel to Platinum Games' Bayonetta would be exclusive to their impending system. The big reveal didn't go over as well as Ninty or Platinum had hoped though, and fans of the original game immediately began to vocalize their distaste.
There's a strong cult following that gamers have for the witch-filled property, but the confirmation of a direct follow up was bittersweet for many. A majority of fans expected that they wouldn't be forced to surrender $300-$350 for a new console in order to play Bayonetta 2, especially since its predecessor was available on PS3 and 360. What many people don't realize, however, is that if Nintendo hadn't picked up the publishing rights then the game may have never been made at all.
Platinum Games' Atsushi Inaba was recently interviewed by Polygon, and he revealed that if it wasn't for Big N then Bayonetta 2 simply would not exist.
"Would Bayonetta 2 not exist without Nintendo? The answer is yes."
"We are not viewing this as a change of platform. We were looking for a partner to create Bayonetta 2 and Nintendo was a strong, cooperative partner that was willing to create and grow Bayonetta 2 together. As a result the platform became the Wii U."
It's believed that Bayonetta 2 was given the axe by its original publisher, Sega, after the company announced that that it was restructuring in the face of massive losses. Even though Inaba doesn't view the development's jump to the Wii U as a "change of platform," he did reassure distraught gamers that all of the work the team had put into the project thus far hadn't been wasted.
"We create the basic framework of our games on the PC, so even though the hardware changes it doesn't influence the creation of our games. We've already developed our own engine to work with multiple platforms. Because of the Wii U GamePad, we are putting extra thought into how to use these differentiating features. There’s a difference in the game design side, but we are enjoying the challenges of creating games for new hardware.”
The Bayonetta series has yet to prove itself as a system seller, but B2's exclusivity is a good sign that Nintendo is working hard to secure exclusives that appeal to hardcore gamers. Fans will learn for themselves whether or not this was a wise investment for the house of Mario when Platinum Games' long awaited sequel eventually makes its way onto store shelves.
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Source: Polygon