Bayonetta 4 is happening, according to Platinum Games VP and Bayonetta writer Hideki Kamiya. Speculation surrounding the future of the Bayonetta franchise has been going wild since Bayonetta 3's release on October 28. What many believed would be a firm conclusion to a Bayonetta trilogy years in the making ended up much more ambiguous. Few expected an official Bayonetta 4 confirmation anytime soon, though, but Kamiya had other plans.

Bayonetta 3 launched around one month ago, over 8 years after the launch of Bayonetta 2. In most fans' minds, a continuation of the Bayonetta franchise was never a certainty – if anything, it seemed unlikely. The action franchise had never been incredibly successful, plus the Nintendo exclusivity of the series has always been an odd fit for the strangeness that Platinum Games loved to deliver. Nevertheless, Bayonetta 3 was made, and further its ending left a door open for more in the future.

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Speaking on Twitter, Kamiya responded to a fan first by saying that "unexpected developments" are waiting for Bayonetta fans. Just that alone would raise an eyebrow, but Kamiya followed up with a much more direct statement. He says that he doesn't think what's coming should be unexpected at all, but that the ending of Bayonetta 3 "wasn't conveyed correctly to everyone." With that in mind, he thinks, "Bayo 4 will be an unexpected development for everyone."

What Kamiya appears to be saying is that many Bayonetta 3 players may have taken the game's ending as an ambiguous conclusion. In Kamiya's mind, however, the conclusion very clearly implied that there's more Bayonetta to be made. To punctuate that, Kamiya added "When Bayo 4 comes out, I'm sure there will be people who say, 'You added that as an afterthought,' so I'll say it now." Kamiya is saying the plan was always to continue making more Bayonetta after Bayonetta 3, and the game's ending should be thought of in that framing.

While Kamiya may be speaking confidently about the future of Bayonetta, that may not necessarily mean it's a sure thing. As one of Bayonetta 3's writers, he could simply be saying his intention with the story. It's likely too much to say he's speaking from a production point of view, even though Kamiya holds a powerful position in Platinum Games. It could be another 8 years before Bayonetta 4 actually gets greenlit, if ever.

For Bayonetta fans, however, Kamiya so confidently confirming plans for Bayonetta 4 has to feel incredible. It was those dedicated fans that enabled Bayonetta 3 to be made, even when hopes for a third game were dim. Whether it was his intention or not, Kamiya isn't letting those fans fall into the same kind of uncertainty they were left in before. Bayonetta 4 is happening, according to Kamiya.

Bayonetta 4 appears to be planned.

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