Bayonetta 4 casually confirmed by game director Hideki Kamiya

Platinum's Hideki Kamiya has quietly revealed he plans to make Bayonetta 4.

Kamiya's comments regarding a fourth game were made in response to a fan's criticism of the ending of Bayonetta 3. We won't go into detail about the game's final moments here; suffice to say, many fans aren't all that happy with it. The game director says he feels the ending received a frosty reception because it "wasn't conveyed correctly" and teases that Bayonetta 4 will be an "unexpected development for everyone."

"I didn't think it was unexpected at all, but it seems that the ending of Bayo 3 wasn't conveyed correctly to everyone, so I think Bayo 4 will be an unexpected development for everyone," Kamiya wrote on Twitter. Not wanting to be accused of adding his ideas for the fourth game in at the last minute, Kamiya adds, "after all, when Bayo 4 comes out, I'm sure there will be people who say, 'you added that as an afterthought', so I'll say it now."

We don't yet know what shape Bayonetta 4 will take, but from Kamiya's comments, it seems that Bayonetta 3's finale heavily lays the groundwork for the next game, meaning it could be even more divisive. Also, given Bayonetta 3’s lengthy development cycle, it's unlikely that we'll see another entry in the zany action series anytime soon.

The latest game was steeped in controversy in the run-up to launch when long-serving Bayonetta voice actor Hellena Taylor issued a video statement claiming she'd received an "insulting" offer to reprise her role as the titular witch. Bloomberg reports disputed the actor's claims of a lowball offer, and in subsequent tweets, Taylor confirmed she was offered more than was initially implied. Still, her comments did spark an industry-wide conversation around the standards of pay.

Upon release, Bayonetta 3 was well-received by fans and critics alike for its fast-paced combat and visual style. But technical issues like long loading times and inconsistent framerates spoiled the fun for some. In our full Bayonetta 3 review, we said, "When the witch takes charge, this demonic fighter is better than ever."

See what else is coming to Nintendo's hybrid console with our guide to upcoming Nintendo Switch games.