PlatinumGames

PlatinumGames is a developer and publisher.

PlatinumGames Webpage, Facebook

A Japanese development studio based in Osaka, founded in 2007 by former Capcom employees. Over the years, the team has collaborated with several major publishers, including SEGA, Konami, Microsoft, Nintendo, and Sony. Its games are known for their distinctive style, dynamic gameplay, and complex combat systems.

The history of PlatinumGames

Back in 2006, three well-known names in the gaming industry - Shinji Mikami, Atsushi Inaba, and Hideki Kamiya - founded Seeds. The world first learned about the studio in February 2007. Not long after, the group joined forces with Odd - a studio created in February 2006 by ex-Capcom developer Tatsuya Minami. As a result, PlatinumGames was officially founded in October 2007. Minami assumed the position of CEO, while Mikami, Inaba, and Kamiya served as directors and producers.

Collaboration with SEGA

A year later, the team announced that they had begun working with SEGA, which would serve as the global publisher for their games. The first of these projects was MadWorld, which hit store shelves in 2009. Released exclusively for the Nintendo Wii, this violent action game caught attention with its distinctive visual design, reminiscent of the Sin City comics. The game received positive reviews from critics but did not achieve commercial success. The studio's second game, Infinite Space, combined elements of RPG, strategy, and simulation, drawing inspiration from the works of Arthur C. Clarke. Released for the Nintendo DS, the game was a hit in Japan but largely overlooked in Western markets.

Things really changed for the team later that year when Bayonetta came out - it's often called the "spiritual successor" to Devil May Cry. In this third-person action game, players assume the role of the titular heroine, a witch tasked with defeating Heaven's forces and uncovering secrets from a mysterious past. The game featured a uniquely complex combat system and dynamic gameplay, but despite strong reviews from industry media, it did not achieve commercial success. Additionally, the PlayStation 3 version experienced several issues because the developers did not fully understand the console's architecture.

Even with underwhelming sales, PlatinumGames maintained its partnership with SEGA. This ongoing cooperation was highlighted by 2010's release of Vanquish. For this project, the developers introduced their own interpretation of a dynamic third-person shooter. After the game's release, Shinji Mikami left the studio and founded Tango Gameworks, which developed The Evil Within, a survival horror game heavily inspired by the fourth Resident Evil installment.

The studio's final project in collaboration with SEGA was Anarchy Reigns, released in 2013. Although a sequel to MadWorld, the developers chose to abandon its distinctive visual style. Like its predecessor, the game failed commercially in both Western and Japanese markets. The developers attributed the poor performance to the publisher.

The studio expands to other publishers

From 2013 onward, the studio began a new chapter in its history, taking on projects with various companies. Thus, in 2013, The Wonderful 101 was released for the Nintendo Wii U. In this arcade action game, players controlled a team of superheroes. The team could transform into various forms, turning into giant weapons or objects useful for combat and exploration. Interestingly, the game took inspiration from the Power Rangers series, among other franchises. Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance debuted the same year, earning both critical acclaim and respectable sales. This gave the developers momentum, allowing them to work on multiple projects at the same time. Regrettably, it somewhat affected the quality of the games they developed.

Following the success of The Wonderful 101, PlatinumGames and Nintendo continued their partnership in 2014, bringing both the original Bayonetta and its direct sequel to the Wii U. However, the game was destined to follow a fate similar to the original, which has achieved cult classic status - despite nearly universal praise, often being called "the perfect slasher," its sales were disappointing. That same year, the company shifted its focus to games based on popular licenses, including The Legend of Korra (2014), Transformers: Devastation (2015), and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutants in Manhattan (2016). Importantly, only the second game was well-received by reviewers.

NieR: Automata and Scalebound, a huge hit and a hidden disappointment...

2017 marked the release of NieR: Automata, a third-person action RPG and a direct follow-up to Cavia's well-received 2010 game. The first game's director, Yoko Taro, was appointed to lead the project. The title first appeared on PlayStation 4, then on PC, and finally on Xbox One in June 2018.

Moreover, in early 2017, it was announced that Scalebound, revealed less than three years earlier and developed under Microsoft's supervision, would never be released. The game was planned for release on PC and Xbox One, but Microsoft canceled it for business reasons. Unconfirmed reports suggest that the overworked team struggled to keep up with production and missed subsequent deadlines.

With the phenomenal success of NieR: Automata, the series regained momentum. Back in February 2017, news emerged that NieR Replicant might get a remaster. The official announcement didn't come until late March 2020, when a mobile spin-off, NieR Re[in]carnation, was also revealed, though PlatinumGames was not involved in its development. NieR Replicant ver.1.?2247448713?9..., as this remastered edition was named, was intended for personal computers and eighth-generation consoles, with a planned release in April 2021.

...but that’s not all

PlatinumGames was working on more than just the projects described above. In 2017, the first Bayonetta was released for PC, and in the following years, both it and its sequel appeared on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. The original Vanquish took a similar route. While Nintendo's hybrid console was skipped by the previous title, it received a new release from the studio in August 2019 - Astral Chain, a third-person action game. Furthermore, in May 2020, a remastered version of The Wonderful 101 was released on PC, PlayStation 4, and Nintendo Switch.

Announcements and waiting for specifics

Meanwhile, Bayonetta 3 was revealed in December 2017. Since then, however, there has been an unsettling silence surrounding the project. From time to time, the studio president reassured fans that progress was being made, asking them to remain patient.

The team's next project was Babylon's Fall, a fantasy slasher game for PC and PlayStation 4. The game was announced in June 2018, and by December 2019, players got a first look - after which the developers went silent.

In February 2019, PlatinumGames announced it was ending its partnership with Cygames, a collaboration that was meant to produce the action RPG Granblue Fantasy: Relink, originally announced in August 2016.

Hits and failures

2021 saw the arrival of new PlatinumGames releases, including both highly anticipated titles and some surprises. Sadly, for at least one title, it might have been better if it had never launched… but we’ll come back to that.

In April 2021, the slasher World of Demons was released for iOS mobile devices. The game was generally well-received by critics, earning an average score of 76/100, while players were a bit more reserved, giving it a 6.8/10 on Metacritic. In that month, NieR Replicant ver.1.?2247448713?9..., a remaster of the cult NieR Replicant, was released on PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One, thanks to Toylogic in collaboration with PlatinumGames. Critically, the game was a success, earning Metacritic scores of 80–83/100 across platforms and garnering "very positive" player reviews on Steam.

In February 2022, PlatinumGames surprised fans with Sol Cresta, a science fiction shooter released for PC, PlayStation 4, and Nintendo Switch. While critics praised the game, it failed to gain widespread recognition. Babylon's Fall, announced in 2018 and released on PC, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation 5 in March 2022, became a hot topic. The game turned out to be a complete failure, one the developers would rather forget. At launch, the game peaked at just 650 concurrent players and received mixed reviews. Industry media were far less kind to the title, with average scores on Metacritic ranging between 41 and 46 out of 100. Although the developers initially assured players that they would continue to support the game, they eventually abandoned it, and it was shut down on February 28th, 2023.

Fortunately for PlatinumGames, relief came sooner than expected. In October 2022, the long-awaited Bayonetta 3 was released on Nintendo Switch. With an average rating of 86/100 from industry critics, the title was considered an artistic success. However, the title wasn't without controversy; a few weeks before release, it was revealed that the main character's voice actress had been replaced. The actress Hellena Taylor quit the role, arguing that the pay was too low and, as she put it, "derogatory." The actress initially said the amount was just $4,000, but it quickly emerged that the actual offer was $15,000.

Regardless, the series continued successfully, with Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon hitting the market in March 2023. Released on Nintendo Switch, the title garnered strong reviews, with players giving it an average of 8.7/10 and industry media rating it 81/100, according to Metacritic.

The captain leaves the deck

In late September 2023, it was announced that Hideki Kamiya, PlatinumGames' former designer, director, and executive vice president, would be leaving the company on October 12th. Unable to work in the video game industry for a full year, he decided to start his own YouTube channel.

Further news from PlatinumGames didn't arrive until September 2024. At that time, reports emerged that the studio had acquired full rights to The Wonderful 101 franchise from Nintendo. However, it was still unclear what the future held for the franchise after it found a new home.

The next bit of positive news about PlatinumGames came in January 2025. During that period, Team Ninja confirmed a collaboration with the studio, culminating in Ninja Gaiden 4. The collaboration between the two teams, both specializing in the slasher genre, produced a game that continued the story of the third installment while also serving as a fresh start for the franchise, thanks to a new protagonist.