The wait for Bayonetta 3 has been one of the longest in recent memory, with few updates since its reveal at The Game Awards 2017. While the game was announced within the first year of the Nintendo Switch's lifecycle, it seems it's finally gearing up for release as PlatinumGames and Nintendo have announced that Bayonetta 3 will launch in October of this year, exclusively for the Switch.
As previously mentioned, Bayonetta 3 was announced almost five years ago at The Game Awards 2017, where it was revealed that Platinum Games and Sega would be teaming up with Nintendo once again for a third entry in the beloved hack and slash action series. Shortly after this, Platinum brought the previous games to Switch in February 2018, followed by a long silence regarding any new Bayonetta 3 information until September 2021, where it was revealed that the game will release in 2022 and will feature new elements such as a kaiju-like Infernal Demon battles and a redesign for Bayonetta herself.
After its no-show at June 2022's Nintendo Direct Mini: Partner Showcase, fans were skeptical of whether Bayonetta 3 would make it out in 2022 as planned. Now, thankfully, fans can rest easy knowing Bayonetta 3 is slated to launch on October 28, 2022, and accompanying the announcement is a bombastic new trailer that reveals recurring characters such as Jeanne, Rodan, and Luca, as well as a new playable character called Viola, who is a witch in training under Bayonetta. The trailer also reveals more of the Infernal Demon gameplay, as well as showcasing various new areas that appear to be based on real world locations like Tokyo and China.
Nintendo has also announced via Twitter that Bayonetta 3 will launch alongside a "Trinity Masquerade Edition," which will include special sleeve artwork for Bayonetta 3 and the Switch releases of Bayonetta and Bayonetta 2, the former of which will also be receiving a limited physical release alongside the third game's release. The Trinity Masquerade Edition also includes a 200-page art book.
If the latest trailer is anything to go off, Platinum Games seems to be pushing the Nintendo Switch to its absolute limits with Bayonetta 3. The company has already had a stellar track record on the console with titles like Astral Chain, The Wonderful 101 Remastered, and the upcoming port of NieR: Automata to the console. In many ways, Bayonetta 3 is the game Platinum has been building to with its strong lineup of Switch titles. The third game also comes almost exactly eight years after the Wii U release of Bayonetta 2, which released on October 24, 2014 outside of Japan.
Bayonetta 3 will release exclusively for Nintendo Switch on October 28, 2022.