Bayonetta 3 dev hires Nintendo veteran as new vice president

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The studio teases a new era as it appoints a new studio head

Bayonetta 3
(Image credit: Nintendo)

Bayonetta and Nier: Automata developer PlatinumGames has hired a Nintendo veteran as its vice president and teased a new era at the studio.

Earlier today on July 19, PlatinumGames' Japanese Twitter account published the video below, introducing former Nintendo veteran Takao Yamane as its new vice president. Yamane now serves under current PlatinumGames CEO Atsushi Inaba, who appeared alongside the new hire in the video just below to introduce the newcomer.

In fact, Yamane also now serves under veteran developer Hideki Kamiya, who sits as the current president of PlatinumGames. Kamiya also appeared alongside Inaba and Yamane in the video from the studio just above to introduce Yamane and talk about the changes going forward at PlatinumGames.

The caption for the tweet above highlights Yamane as an "important figure" in the games industry. There's definitely an emphasis on PlatinumGames changing from the caption of the tweet and the comments from the three studio heads, but it'll be the forthcoming Famitsu interview with the trio later this week where we'll find out more concrete details. 

Earlier this year in February, it was reported that Inaba wanted PlatinumGames to focus on live-service titles that could be enjoyed for longer going forward. This would've been a pretty significant step away from the games the studio had become known for, like Bayonetta and Nier: Automata, action-packed titles that can generally be completed in around 10 hours.

However, it turned out this was a mistranslation. What Inaba actually said was that he wanted PlatinumGames to make "something quite different" over the coming few years, and that he thought "change is imperative" at the studio. Yamane's hire as vice president of the developer appears to reflect Inaba's past comments, but with the likes of Bayonetta 3 hotly anticipated on the horizon, it certainly doesn't look like PlatinumGames is ready to give up its old ways. 

Elsewhere, Nier Automata is finally coming to Nintendo Switch later this year in October, with exclusive items and character outfits. 

Hirun Cryer
Hirun Cryer

Hirun Cryer is a freelance reporter and writer with Gamesradar+ based out of U.K. After earning a degree in American History specializing in journalism, cinema, literature, and history, he stepped into the games writing world, with a focus on shooters, indie games, and RPGs, and has since been the recipient of the MCV 30 Under 30 award for 2021. In his spare time he freelances with other outlets around the industry, practices Japanese, and enjoys contemporary manga and anime.