When announced back at The Game Awards 2017, Bayonetta 3 cemented itself as one of the most highly anticipated Switch exclusives. The following year, no proper updates were revealed to hold fans over. This happened the year after, and once again the year after that. After mounting concern that the title was experiencing production difficulties, Bayonetta 3 made a triumphant return during the September 2021 Nintendo Direct this past week, treating fans to a dazzling new trailer.
The preview had all the elements fans of the franchise have come to expect, including over-the-top action, outlandish enemy designs, and a catchy soundtrack. While these core components are being celebrated, one particular detail in the trailer has caught the attention of many. For a few seconds during the trailer, the police dog mascot Lappy from Astral Chain has a cameo, distracting a giant monster before Bayonetta arrives on the scene. Considering Bayonetta 3 and Astral Chain are both made by PlatinumGames, this could just be a fun Easter egg, but there is a chance the studio is hinting at something more.
A PlatinumGames Shared Game Universe
PlatinumGames has a reputation for particular features and themes in all of its projects. This includes hyper-stylized choreography not uncommon in Shonen anime, bizarre science-fiction plots, and quirky characters. These are concepts that make a PlatinumGames project instantly recognizable, which is why diehard fans probably had a sneaking suspicion of what game was being shown leading into the Bayonetta 3 trailer. Even without literally being in the same universe, PlatinumGames' many titles like Astral Chain and Bayonetta all share similar DNA.
Outside of these stylistic similarities, PlatinumGames projects have never made a grand effort to directly reference one another. This is why the inclusion of Lappy came as such a surprise to some, despite the character's appearance being so short in the Bayonetta 3 trailer. Lappy was functionally used as a fake-out, similar to the many fighter reveal trailers for Super Smash Bros Ultimate; making viewers believe the game is one thing, then suddenly puling the rug out from under their feet, so to speak. Even so, this could still be a subtle way of building up to a bigger idea.
The Trend of Connected Video Game Universes
Thanks to the immense success of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the idea of different properties sharing an interconnected world has become more lucrative and interesting to pursue. Many other film franchises have attempted to catch that same lightning in a bottle, an effect which is trickling its way into the video game medium as well. While crossovers like characters appearing in games such as SoulCalibur have happened for a long time, a connection by means of narrative has yet to be truly pulled off.
A fellow video game studio that specializes in mind-bending action games is setting up a shared universe of its own. Remedy, the developer behind Control and Alan Wake, blew fans' minds when it confirmed both of these IPs share the same world. This has opened the door to many new storytelling and gameplay possibilities, with the sky being the limit in terms of what Remedy can do with the concept. In terms of creating a shared video game universe, this seems to be the right way to do.
A studio needs to have a consistent style across all its projects so it wouldn't be too much of a stretch to intertwine them all together. Bayonetta 3 would be the perfect starting place for PlatinumGames to do the same thing, but it remains to be seen exactly what future plans are.
Bayonetta 3 will be released in 2022 exclusively for the Nintendo Switch.