It’s been a bit since Bayonetta has had any time in the spotlight. 2022’s Bayonetta 3 released to pretty good reception (although did earn ire for its depiction of the witch herself), but all’s been quiet on the Umbral front since. With creator Hideki Kamiya having left PlatinumGames in 2023, it seemed even more unlikely for the series to continue. A ray of hope appeared in an unexpected place, though: Stellar Blade.

That game’s Switch 2 port, due for release next month, will feature four new costumes based on characters from the Bayonetta series, demonstrating that Platinum are willing to do something with it (well, that and letting her be added to Sonic Racing: Crossworlds alongside Minecraft Steve and Spongebob.)

This collaboration led to a a recent group interview between Platinum CEO Atsushi Inaba and Kim Hyung-tae, CEO of Stellar Blade devs Shift Up, published in Famitsu and translated by NintendoEverything (thanks!). At one point, Hyung-tae joked that though Bayonetta was “approaching 17, but […] the game really hasn’t lost any of its freshness.” Famitsu in turn asked if Platinum has any ideas for the series’ next move, to which Inaba responded “Well… I can’t really answer that at the moment. As for Bayonetta, I strongly feel that I want to expand her as a character and broaden her world. Please wait to see exactly what shape that will take.” At Famitsu’s prodding of “even waiting for the next game?”, Inaba simply laughed and replied “I’m sorry, but ‘no comment.'”

So, despite Kamiya’s leaving. and Platinum’s loss of such other staff as Bayonetta 3 director Yusuke Miyata, Astral Chain director Takahisa Taura and Metal Gear Rising director Kenji Saito in 2025, it seems there may still be a future for Bayonetta yet. Even if a new game doesn’t materialise any time soon, maybe it’ll lead to a consideration of comparatively cheaper ports of Bayonetta 2 and 3, eventually freeing them from their Nintendo-exclusive cages (okay, probably not, but let me hope). Either way, I’m sure Shift Up, by extension, appreciates the conversation around their games shifting (at least temporarily) to more pretty costumes for Eve, and away from Stellar Blade: Blood Rain being developed with genAI at the forefront.