Bayonetta Character Designer Celebrates Series' 15th Anniversary With New Art

The first game debuted in Japan in 2009

by · Nintendo Life
Image: PlatinumGames

PlatinumGames' icon Bayonetta is currently celebrating her 15th anniversary, and while there have been no major announcements, the development team and creators have now taken to social media to acknowledge the Umbra Witch's time in the spotlight

Platinum shared a brief message on social media featuring a look at Bayonetta's original outing which started on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in 2009. Of course, it eventually made its way across to the Wii U in 2014 and followed with a Nintendo Switch release in 2018.

PlatinumGames: "Released in Japan on Oct 29 2009, #Bayonetta strutted onto the scene a whole 15 years ago"

The character's designer Mari Shimazaki also shared a special message (and some fabulous artwork) to celebrate the original Bayonetta outing:

Mari Shimazaki: "Congratulations on the 15th anniversary of Bayonetta and the 2nd anniversary of Bayonetta 3! Sorry it’s a WIP drawing, I drew it in between work. I wanted to make a soft and beautiful picture, but before I knew it, the contrast had become too extreme. I wanted to use the red, blue, and purple symbolic colors of 1, 2, and 3. I didn’t have enough time, so I’ll finish it before the 15th anniversary."

Series creator Hideki Kamiya left PlatinumGames last year following the release of Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon. His previous comments in November 2023 suggested he would take his "Bayonetta vision to the grave" but he also thought the franchise would continue without him.

There was also some sad news earlier this year in August about the passing of Bayonetta's Japanese voice actor, Atsuko Tanaka.

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Have you played the Bayonetta games on the Switch yet? Would you like to see another entry in this series one day? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.

[source famiboards.com, via gonintendo.com]

Related Games
   •  Bayonetta (Switch)
   •  Bayonetta 2 (Switch)
   •  Bayonetta 3 (Switch)
   •  Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon (Switch)
See Also
   •  50 Best Nintendo Switch Games To Play Right Now (2024)
   •  50 Best Wii U Games Of All Time

About Liam Doolan

Liam is a news writer and reviewer for Nintendo Life and Pure Xbox. He's been writing about games for more than 15 years and is a lifelong fan of Mario and Master Chief.

Comments 8

There’s a mistake, Kamiya’s comments were in 2023

Bayonetta makes me sad... Games 1 and 2 I enjoyed like never before. The 3rd? I felt like I was playing it for compromise.
Multiverse stories are never that good.

@Jorbi We can agree that the usual multiverse thing isn't a great idea all the time, but you gotta admit, the game was pretty good action game.

@Samalik I totally agree!
But at the same time, there's this curve where too much action feels like you're not actually doing anything (does that make sense?).
SPOILER:
For example, when controlling the spider-demon through the buildings... i had no idea where I was going! Or even doing!
Maybe I just can't learn to control that many beasts and characters on one single game hehe
But yes, thanks Platinum Games for continuing her story, she totally deserved it (´∇`)

The fact they’re celebrating Bayonetta gives me hope for the 4th game.

The fact they’re celebrating Bayonetta with artwork that doesn’t include Viola gives me A LOT of hope.

Bayonetta 1 and 2 are excellent, and while I found 3 a pretty weak addition to the story and lore, it was still a great action game. Hopefully a sequel is coming, unrestrained by hardware limitations and with a less troubled development

15 years already huh, time flies as always.
Happy 15th anniversary Bayonetta.🎉

Oh man, what sad news ... I was really hoping for a special game or at least an announcement for the 15 years of my favourite game.
At least a beautiful artwork, sounds a bit last minute, like they forgot about the celebration though.

The Witch Time mechanic is probably the most satisfying one I've ever seen in an action game.
Currently playing through #2, and adoring the Witch Trials challenges. Been fighting off with Rodin in between my attempts at reaching Platinum.

I feel like people who didn't enjoy #3 missed the point. But like the previous games, it does have its own personality.

And I cannot imagine Switch 2 not having its own Bayonetta 4, that would be like not having its own Zelda or Mario game, as the series feels so at home on Nintendo consoles.

Happy Birthday Beloved Witch 🧡🧡🧡

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