The director of Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon has moved on from PlatinumGames to join Housemarque, known for developing Returnal. This development comes at a time when PlatinumGames appears to be facing some difficulties, and the departure of the main creative mind behind Bayonetta Origins raises questions about the studio’s current trajectory.
In September 2023, Hideki Kamiya, the leading developer at PlatinumGames, announced he was leaving the Osaka studio. He explained that his vision as a game developer no longer aligned with the direction PlatinumGames was taking. Fast forward a year, and at The Game Awards 2024, it was unexpectedly revealed that Kamiya would be at the helm of the Okami sequel for Capcom, alongside a revival of Clover Studio. This exciting announcement, however, sparked worries about what lies ahead for PlatinumGames.
Just after the announcement of the Okami sequel, there were rumors that several key developers from PlatinumGames had departed the studio, as they removed all references to it from their social media. Among them was Abebe Tinari, the director of Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon, who shared that he had relocated from Japan to Helsinki, Finland. His LinkedIn profile has now revealed that he is now a lead game designer at Housemarque.
Bayonetta Origins Director Now Working on Housemarque’s New IP
Housemarque’s most recent game was the highly praised roguelike shooter Returnal, which launched in May 2021. After that, the studio based in Helsinki was acquired by PlayStation. Since then, Housemarque has been diligently working on a new intellectual property, and it appears that Tinari will be contributing his skills to this project. While the exact timing of the next game reveal remains uncertain, many fans believe we won’t see an announcement until at least 2026.
It’s still early to determine the effect of the recent departures of key developers on PlatinumGames and its upcoming projects. The studio has recently kicked off a year-long celebration for Bayonetta’s 15th anniversary, which could potentially lead to the announcement of a new game in the series. In addition to this, PlatinumGames has been developing a new intellectual property called Project GG since 2020. However, with Hideki Kamiya no longer with the studio, it’s uncertain how this might impact the progress of the game.