Platinum Games wants to Create ‘Different Games’, Hints at Live Service Ideas

Platinum Games CEO Atsushi Inaba says he would like to see the studio create games that “can be enjoyed and loved for a longer period of time”, compared to the “one-off” type of games like Bayonetta and Wonderful 101, hinting at the studio approaching live service games.

In an interview with Famitsu (translated by VGC), Platinum Games’ co-founder and new CEO Atsushi Inaba spoke more about his recent promotion, Bayonetta 3, and future projects.

When speaking about one of their upcoming projects, known only as Project G.G., Inaba implies that the game will be taking a different approach than their previous titles.

“Project G.G. is still in the stage of testing various things, so I can’t tell you much about it, but when it comes to future game production, we want to focus on creating games that are different from the past. I would like to focus on creating games that can be enjoyed and loved for a longer period of time.

Of course, we would like to cherish and create small but brilliantly conceived games such as Sol Cresta, and games in which you can enjoy the process of clearing the game by going through one-off, well-designed stages, such as Bayonetta.

However, the projects that we are trying to create for the future will be different in terms of their structure. Considering the changes in the market over the next five years or so, I think it is absolutely necessary for us to do this. I’m sorry for being so vague, but I think that’s all I can tell you right now.”

Project G.G. is supposed to be the third entry in Hideki Kamiya’s superhero trilogy, following Viewtiful Joe and The Wonderful 101. The game seems to revolve around Tokusatsu-style giant hero battles. It will be Platinum’s first fully-owned IP, something that they have aspired towards for a long time.

In a panel at the Asia Pacific Game Summit, Platinum co-founders Inaba and Kamiya spoke about how they wished for Platinum to expand from being a developer doing contract work for bigger companies to becoming a publisher in their own right.

To this vein, the Osaka-based company has expanded further in recent years, creating a new studio in Tokyo with 300 employees in total across the two offices. Ibaba says he wishes to expand further to 500 in order for Platinum to achieve its further ambitions.

The turn to live service games can be seen as part of this expansion. Their biggest hurdle to becoming a major publisher was that their games tended to be on the niche side, meaning that they’ve had to rely on larger publishers like Nintendo and Konami for funding.

Platinum’s next big game will be a live service game called Babylon’s Fall, published by Square Enix. This will be their first attempt at a live service game and perhaps serve as a way to test the waters to see the format suits them as a developer.

Many fans of Platinum’s works are wary of this news. The company has been known for their unique original IPs that bucked modern gaming trends in favor of innovative gameplay and presentation. Many feel that focusing more on live service games will cause Platinum to lose that unorthodox flair that they have been so well known and loved for.

Babylon’s Fall will release for PS4, PS5, and PC on the 3rd of March.

Platinum will also be releasing arcade-style shooter, Sol Cresta and the long-awaited Bayonetta 3 this year, suggesting that the single player-oriented niche side of Platinum isn’t going anywhere either. 

Join Us!