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Thursday, February 4, 2016

Bayonetta Helping Her Sales

By LUDWIG VON KOOPA - Makes sense to me.

Yesterday, you could begin playing as Bayonetta and Corrin in Super Smash Bros. 4. We all know that Corrin literally exists to promote Fire Emblem: Fates, coming out this February 19 in North America in multiple versions like a Pokémon game. While Bayonetta is in because people voted for her (pushed mostly by Europe), don't think for a moment that Nintendo ain't taking advantage of her existence for advertisement!

'cause, you know what also is coming out February 19? Bayonetta 2! Re-released.

Bayonetta 2 single disc Wii U Amazon February 19
All by itself.
 
Remember that before, in North America, Bayonetta 2 was only released as a bundle with Bayonetta the first. Presumably because the first Bayonetta was never released on a Nintendo system, and they didn't want people to be left out since Bayonetta 2 is a sequel.

It was widely reported recently that Bayonetta 2 was is out-of-print at retail. With Bayonetta being showcased in Super Smash Bros. 4, it makes sense that Nintendo would take the time to get more sales.

Bayonetta 2 first print edition Amazon Wii U bundle
'cause this doesn't seem like a good way to capitalise on Bayonetta's DLC.

Digital download elitists may scoff and say they don't have to worry about being out-of-print. Indeed, you can purchase Bayonetta 2 right now from the Nintendo eShop. Just... compare prices.

Nintendo Nintendo.com Bayonetta 2 digital version Wii U eShop
$49.99 for Bayonetta 2, and then you get Bayonetta for $19.99.

$29.99 for retail single disc for Bayonetta 2, or $49.99 for digital Bayonetta 2. Take your pick. Either way, if you really like Bayonetta thanks to Super Smash Bros. 4, try her games on Wii U. Especially if you enjoy combo-based action-oriented gameplay. Nintendo and PlatinumGames are looking to strengthen their return on investment for Bayonetta 2 (which might be negative) with the re-release, so help them out.

This may lead to a Bayonetta 3! Whether it'll be on the NX or a competitor console is unknown, especially given Platinum's distancing away from Nintendo consoles after Bayonetta 2 and The Wonderful 101 didn't do as well as they could've on a sales basis. These include The Legend of Korra, Transformers: Devastation, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutants in Manhatten, Nier: Automata, and Scalebound. None of those are or will be on a Nintendo console, and all are after Bayonetta 2.


I doubt Bayonetta 3, if it exists, will be exclusive to the NX. That doesn't match the clear trend we're seeing here. That said, PlatinumGames will do contractual game creation. If Nintendo asks and pays for it, they would do it since that's their model. I also doubt that Nintendo is actually interested in buying out the Bayonetta franchise. What would the point of that be? Nintendo isn't good at developing in-house action games like that, and if it's not Platinum working on it then it wouldn't be a very good experience. People play Bayonetta for the PlatinumGames distinct action experience.

PlatinumGames sees Bayonetta as a precious original IP that they came into existence to make. They're happier making original IP than contract work, as you'd expect. Let PlatinumGames keep Bayonetta, even if that means Bayonetta 3 might not be on the NX. ...Though it could just be multi-platform!

32 comments :

  1. Well they succeeded with selling the Duck Hunt VC release to me after playing as the Duck Hunt character in SSB4. It was a fun afternoon playing the Duck Hunt game I had with my husband though. Also either Duck Hunt or SMB may have been one of the first games I ever played depending on what was offered to me first. It may have been Duck Hunt because I am not sure my toddler mind would have been able to handle the platforming yet of SMB but shooting the N-Zap '89 I mean zapper would have occasionally gotten me a duck in the earlier rounds of Duck Hunt. Also when guests come over it will be fun to bask in nostlagia.

    So I can see Bayonetta DLC working for buying the games she was in.

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    Replies
    1. So Smash 4 got you to buy a game you already had? :o

      Delete
    2. Today I learned my husband, who I consider more of a casual fan but in a good way, knowing about major titles but not the more obscure stuff, is aware of the Bayonetta games. This happened because I was watching a SSB4 video on Bayonetta and he saw the name and recognized it and he watched a bit of it which he usually does not do. Looks like I will really consider getting these games after all.

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    3. Would you get it for your husband or...?

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    4. I wonder how awkward that would get. I don't mind playing these types of games for myself though.

      Delete
    5. Wot'd you think about The Wonderful 101, if anything?

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    6. I got it from Club Nintendo but still did not play it yet. I have an issue with stockpiling games and having a big backlog.

      Delete
    7. ...(I forgot that I actually do own The Wonderful 101 and haven't done anything with it.)

      Delete
  2. Woo, so much attention focused on such an awesome game! :D

    I think the fate of Bayonetta 3 rests with publishers. Bayonetta 2 became a Wii U exclusive because no one except Nintendo believed in it. They stepped in to fund and publish it when others wouldn't (which is why it's absurd when people criticize Platinum for making it exclusive). Last year, the Bayonetta 2 director expressed his interest in making a spin-off for the 3DS starring Jeanne, too.

    Notice, if you look at their non-licensed titles, they just made the rounds. Because of Bayonetta 2 and Scalebound, fans were wondering if they had a PS4 exclusive in the works even before they announced Nier Automata. So I don't think there's really any trend of them distancing themselves from Nintendo, since many fans wouldn't consider Korra, Transformers, and TMNT to be major games from them.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. One day, indie developers will start requesting I write about their game for the added exposure.

      And I'll do it.

      So the decision to port the game to less consoles, you believe, is the publisher's and Platinum had no input?

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    2. I'm not sure what you're specifically asking about... if you're asking about Bayonetta 2, yes. Platinum just wanted to make the game. Nintendo made it possible by becoming its publisher.

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    3. I was talking about their contract work.

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    4. Oh, gotcha. Yeah, I think that's likely, especially since all 3 had the same publisher (Activision).

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    5. It's not like Activision has abandoned the Wii U completely. If the Wii U can get Skylanders and The Amazing Spiderman then TMNT and Transformers seems right up its alley.

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    6. Yes, I know. I just meant that if Platinum published a bunch of licensed games with a variety of publishers, and none appeared on Nintendo systems, you might say, "hmm, maybe Platinum is avoiding them," but since it's all with the same publisher, it's not as easy (especially with Star Fox on the horizon).

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    7. What I'm concluding is that the only time Platinum will develop for a Nintendo console is if Nintendo is the publisher and pays them to do it.

      When Platinum could (relatively) easily port the game to another console and not do it, it suggests they don't have a favourable opinion of it.

      Delete
    8. But there aren't enough examples to conclude that. Maybe Activision decided those games wouldn't be profitable on the Wii U.

      You're looking at a developer that has 1 upcoming multiplatform game not available on Wii U, 1 upcoming Wii U exclusive (2 if you count Project Guard separately, since that hasn't been clarified yet), 1 upcoming Xbox One exclusive, and 1 upcoming PS4 exclusive, and saying they don't like Nintendo.

      I need to see more of a trend before I come to that conclusion.

      Kamiya says "ask Activision" whenever someone has a question about the Activision-published games.

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    9. Maybe they did. I mean, they're selling the stuff on Xbox360 and PS3 so it's not a power problem. Dunno why you'd say Wii U is good enough for Spiderman but not TMNT.

      https://platinumgames.files.wordpress.com/2015/09/dsc_2583.jpg
      I mean, they're not even really smiling for Bayonetta 2 cake. Though, maybe the cameraperson didn't say "SMIRE!" before taking the picture.

      ...Well, Kamiya says a lot of fun things. People act like he's the freakin' CEO of Platinum and he's not.

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    10. Maybe the Spiderman game sold poorly on the Wii U.

      Yeah, that isn't the happiest photo. This one is better: https://platinumgames.files.wordpress.com/2015/09/bayonetta-2.jpg

      Yes, and he gets quite aggravated when people ask him about Platinum games he didn't work on. xD

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    11. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Amazing_Spider-Man_2_%282014_video_game%29#Reception
      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transformers:_Rise_of_the_Dark_Spark#Reception

      Maybe it did. These games look like shit.

      If VGChartz is anywhere close to accurate, the game totally bombed.

      http://www.vgchartz.com/game/78448/the-amazing-spider-man-2-2014/

      But so did its prequel the year before.

      http://www.vgchartz.com/game/71644/the-amazing-spider-man-console-version/

      So they might not actually care if the game sales are that bad.

      ...OBJECTION! That photo was prefaced with, "It just so happens that the game’s director, Yusuke Hashimoto, has his birthday this week as well, so we threw him a little extra surprise."

      People aren't smiling for Bayonetta 2, but because it's the director's birthday!

      Delete
    12. Oh, was it? Oops.

      Well at least they were smiling!

      Delete
  3. Smash bros is technically a huge Advertisement, any character that gets in can guarantee sales of that franchise, and also, they re released version is technically the EU version of mayone-ahem- bayo etta2, since the EU version wasnt bundled with the first game

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    Replies
    1. Ice Climbers didn't sell shiiiit.

      Well, if the EU version had different localisation then no it's not the EU version.

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    2. What I meant its just that the EU version didnt have bayo 1 bundled with it
      (Forgot ice climbers was a thing)

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    3. Yeah, I know. :p

      (Everyone got the chance to play it for 40 seconds in the Masterpieces in Brawl and found out quickly that Ice Climber was horrible. Maybe that's why people don't still feel bad about them not being in Super Smash Bros. 4?)

      Delete
    4. Maybe lol, or they just understood that there is no possibility that they could actually work.... And I still domt get the point of the eggplant... of all, why an eggplant?

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    5. First 10 seconds should tell you why eggplant:
      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0nzBivwWI4A

      First vegetable. Now, why is there an eggplant there to start with when they don't belong in arctic temperatures? I dunno. Maybe Nana and Popo really want to taste what an eggplant is like.

      Delete

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