2019 is Expected to be a Big Year for PlatinumGames
PlatinumGames is already teasing their next game, promising that it will be “something that has never been done before.”
In an interview with VGC, studio head Atsushi Inaba explains how Platinum’s new business model — which includes less reliance on external publisher funding and a focus on structured game design — has led the studio to work on a new and exciting IP.
“Right now we’re in the middle of designing something that has never been done before. I know a lot of people say that, but the game we’re working on truly is unlike anything else,” Inaba said. “Even for our varied history of veteran game developers, this is something that has never been designed before. So from a game design perspective, we’re very excited right now.”
Inaba also elaborated on the struggle of working with shared IP’s versus committing to their own.
“It’s absolutely the truth that there are cases where you want to do a sequel but if you don’t own the IP, you can’t do it,” Inaba said. “It’s that simple, and quite frankly in the case of Bayonetta, it took a lot of time and energy to get it to the point where sequels could be made. It wasn’t as simple as picking up the phone and asking, ‘hey, can we do this?’ There were a lot of pieces that needed to fall into place and a lot of negotiating that had to occur.
“That’s a pain. That’s a hassle. For us as creators, we want to get to the point where self-publishing allows us to own our IP and do what we want with it, including making sequels. So the faster we can have that freedom, the better it will be for all the creators here.”
PlatinumGames is currently working on Bayonetta 3 and Astral Chain for the Nintendo Switch. It’s unclear if this new IP will also be exclusive to the Switch or if it’ll be multiplatform.
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