There have been rumors of potential interest from Microsoft to acquire Bayonetta developer, Platinum Games, for a while now, but studio head Atsushi Inaba shot it down in an interview with VGC. [Thanks, Nibel.]
In the interview with VGC, Inaba said that selling Platinum Games would be the opposite of what he’s trying to achieve with steps into self-publishing their own game. As for the rumor, it’s been around since Xbox boss Phil Spencer expressed interest in acquiring a Japanese developer last June.
Atsushi Inaba on Microsoft rumors:
Atsushi Inaba: “I did read some rumours about Xbox wanting to purchase PlatinumGames, and I thought, ‘people on the internet write the craziest stuff’, because that conversation has not come to our doorstep at all.
“That said, we’re not Microsoft, so we don’t know what happens behind their doors, we don’t know if they had any thoughts about it possibly.
“We’ve not had any talks like that, but I think even if it was a possibility, we’re now going into more independent self-publishing.
“It’s not that we’re disinterested in Microsoft, but if the relationship were to be us working under their direction, I feel like that would be the opposite of what we’re trying to do now and limit our possibilities. Any opportunities that would limit our freedom I think we would be against.”
PlatinumGames designer Hideki Kamiya also joked:
Hideki Kamiya: “Maybe somebody reminded them that I’m still at the studio, and they were like, ‘right then, forget that! We’re not going to acquire them!”
The PlatinumGames head of game development and producer Atsushi Inaba expressed interest in self-publishing back in January 2018. Since then, the company was able to make it happen with its first self-published title in The Wonderful 101 Remastered which just released for the PS4, Switch, and PC. Platinum is looking to keep the self-publishing going with its next game, an original IP known as Project GG.
You can read the full interview over at VCG.
