Nintendo Came Up With the Concept for Bayonetta Origins

The first three Bayonetta games were fairly mature in tone, but Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon went in a bit of a different direction. The Nintendo Switch prequel offered something of an origin story for Bayonetta, taking place when the main character was just a young girl. It was a unique approach to the property, and it seems that the concept first came from Nintendo. In a new interview conducted by Famitsu (and translated by Nintendo Everything), supervisor Hideki Kamiya revealed that Bayonetta Origins was first pitched as a minigame, but Kamiya wanted to take the idea even further.

"When it came time to release Bayonetta 3, we talked about the idea of planning to add a little something extra. Lots of ideas were thrown around, and Nintendo suggested something along the lines of 'a Bayonetta prequel minigame," Kamiya told Famitsu. "In truth, from a while ago I had casually mentioned while talking with Atsushi Inaba of PlatinumGames about 'wanting to make a story about Bayonetta from long ago.' Not wanting to pass up the opportunity, Inaba requested, 'If we are going to do this, let's make a full project, and not a minigame.' And with that it began." 

Bayonetta Origins was unlike anything that had previously been done with the franchise, but that turned out to be a good thing! The game released to great reviews earlier this year, with ComicBook.com's review awarding the game a score of 4.5 out of 5. While the prequel was developed by PlatinumGames, it seemed to have Nintendo's DNA throughout, and it's not too surprising to hear that the company had some influence on the concept. At this time, it's unclear if the game will see a sequel, or if the team will focus on Bayonetta 4, instead.

Back in March, Kamiya and Nintendo's Makoto Okazaki hinted that there might be more done with Bayonetta Origins in the future. However, Okazaki indicated that it will largely depend on what the fans want to see!

Have you checked out Bayonetta Origins yet? Are you surprised Nintendo first pitched the idea? Let us know in the comments or share your thoughts directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp to talk all things gaming!