Bayonetta bewitches retail January 2010

  • By Matthew Peters, GameSpot
  • Posted Jul 17, 2009 4:42 pm PT

Fantasy action title from director of Devil May Cry pushed to next year; Japanese markets still set for October 29 launch.

Although Japanese gamers are still set to receive the fantasy action title Bayonetta on October 29, Western players will now have to wait until the following year. Today, Sega announced that the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions of the game won't hit North America and Europe until January 2010.

Guns. Because wands are, like, so 17th century.

"Bayonetta is an extremely important new IP for Sega and adds a new level of depth to our growing portfolio," said Mike Hayes, president and COO of Sega West. "As a result of market analysis, we have taken a publishing decision that January 2010 is the optimum release time in the western markets to maximize this exciting new title's potential."

The title is produced by Hideki Kamiya, the man behind the original Devil May Cry and the critically acclaimed Viewtiful Joe. As outlined in GameSpot's previous coverage, Bayonetta features over-the-top combat reminiscent of Kamiya's past creations, though he says the story is "completely original." When the game is released, players will take control of the titular character, a reborn witch who battles angels with guns equipped to her hands and feet.

92 Comments

  • BladeTrinity114

    Posted Jul 21, 2009 8:55 am PT

    Yeh they know that outside of Japan there are similar franchises that are more established. Knowing this they extend the release date. Pretty obvious.

  • nmc1987

    Posted Jul 20, 2009 3:38 pm PT

    jeez i really hope that wasnt actual game music.
    sounded worse then dynasty warriors ewwwwwwwww

  • jmartin1016

    Posted Jul 20, 2009 1:57 pm PT

    Hopefully more people will have some spending cash by then

  • Kravyn81

    Posted Jul 20, 2009 10:29 am PT

    "As a result of market analysis, we have taken a publishing decision that January 2010 is the optimum release time in the western markets to maximize this exciting new title's potential."

    Translation: We've seen what is planned from the other studios for this holiday season and we don't have much confidence that our brand new IP will be able to succeed when next to other more successfully established IPs.

  • LosDaddie

    Posted Jul 20, 2009 6:53 am PT

    Makes sense. The game probably needed more time

  • McGregor

    Posted Jul 20, 2009 6:52 am PT

    I agree with extending the launch date. It's pretty popular for people to give gift cards for the holiday season and that means people picking out the titles they want. This might not necessarily be a game mom buys for a 17-18 year old kid. They, of course, can choose to get it on their own and after the holiday rush feel inclined to spend a little on themselves.

    edit: on top of that, i loved the devil may cry series, so it's safe to say i'm excited for this title to come out!

  • cockneyscouse

    Posted Jul 20, 2009 1:46 am PT

    Is good news for me. There always far too many really good titles released in the Autumn, leading up to Christmas. I just wish more publishers would break the release dates up more throughout the year. I'm really really looking forward to this game and so want it to do well. If it had it's original release it could have easily got lost amongst the big name Christmas releases.

  • Kfoss

    Posted Jul 20, 2009 12:29 am PT

    well if it means a better product im all for it..i have high hope for this game

  • LorenaLarue

    Posted Jul 20, 2009 12:27 am PT

    Yeah, gotta have time for localisation.

  • EvrenDawn

    Posted Jul 19, 2009 11:43 pm PT

    I was hoping that this would come out while I'm at school so I could decide weather to buy it or not over break. But, what the hell man? Don't tell me they really need three more months to get it to the US. It seems like it would at least schedule it for a holiday release rather than January.

  • Sonic_P

    Posted Jul 19, 2009 11:38 pm PT

    At least thy should release a demo at September or October!

  • Gunner-X

    Posted Jul 19, 2009 7:18 pm PT

    Same guy who did the original DMC you say? I have to get this...

  • goez3000

    Posted Jul 19, 2009 4:42 pm PT

    who else thinks bayonetta looks like palin?

  • werruraz

    Posted Jul 19, 2009 2:03 pm PT

    Fission Mailed

  • Spryt

    Posted Jul 19, 2009 1:23 pm PT

    In my personal opinion this is the worst character design I have ever seen. What where they thinking?

  • liam82517

    Posted Jul 19, 2009 12:43 pm PT

    looks horrible!!!!

  • black_knight402

    Posted Jul 19, 2009 11:05 am PT

    DMC all over again just with new combats and enemies with a linear path.

  • eden9914

    Posted Jul 19, 2009 8:01 am PT

    ok lets see from september till march:tekken6,uncharted 2,ninja gaiden sigma 2,marvel ultimate alliance2,god of war 3,final fantasy 13 and some other i can't remember plus that i own a wii and also there are 6-7 titles i want for the same period...aaaa and here comes bayonetta for january....
    it will be a tough year...

  • Shinkada

    Posted Jul 19, 2009 7:49 am PT

    Like DMC4, this will probably just be a one-off play... A rental. Not like DMC3's huge amount of replay value thanks to weapon variety.

    Anyway, I'm really sick of this release date **** that Japan's been doing lately. The West has put huge efforts into global release dates, while most games from Japanese companies, for seemingly no reason, take forever to get here. Tales of Vespera wasn't released in Europe until ELEVEN MONTHS after its Japanese release. Monster Hunter 3 is being released in America almost a full year after its Japanese counterpart, and an EU date still isn't set.

    Seriously, it's just completely pathetic, and inexcusable beyond words. They think it being released two to three months later will ENCOURAGE me to buy it? Wrong. Just like Vesperia, I'll have already gotten curious, seen most of it played on Youtube, realized it was a 6/10 at best and then just not bought it.

    This is what we get for gaming going casual. People who just see a hot girl on the cover and buy it without any idea of whether the game is any good make up most of the market now.

    EDIT: Are people not even reading this news? The game ISN'T CHANGING despite the delay. Japan's still getting it in October. They're just delaying it in the West to 'maximize sales'.

  • GN-00Raiser

    Posted Jul 19, 2009 6:10 am PT

    This makes DMC look bad. Hopefully the trailer is a good representation of the game.

  • p00phead

    Posted Jul 19, 2009 1:27 am PT

    II'm expecting a demo on japanese marketplace

  • jimbob_1977

    Posted Jul 19, 2009 1:22 am PT

    Reading between the lines, this guy is saying "yeah, we got a good game, but its not gonna match up against 2009's AAA games so we'll push our game into Jan '10 when the only thing left to spend holiday money on is....our game"

    Marketing genius lol

  • pycho22solid

    Posted Jul 18, 2009 11:48 pm PT

    Dang! 2010 is gonna have the best Q1 ever! Bayonetta, Mass Effect 2, God Of War 3, Bad Company 2...

  • xxThyLordxx

    Posted Jul 18, 2009 11:45 pm PT

    @BigBacon87

    Definitely.

  • KCKING23

    Posted Jul 18, 2009 11:13 pm PT

    OMG WTF i was ready to play this year it's so beast

  • chaoticchild555

    Posted Jul 18, 2009 11:12 pm PT

    DMC with a girls costume?

  • catdadanddog

    Posted Jul 18, 2009 11:08 pm PT

    In 2010, Americans will have a job-hopefully. Right now, Americans are unemployed and unable to buy games. I was hoping for September 2009. Man, 2009 is really a dry year for original games. Man, in 2010 I'll be 6 months older.

  • Sovereign_13

    Posted Jul 18, 2009 10:55 pm PT

    A "completely original" story from the man who brought you DMC and Viewtiful Joe! When this game comes out MGS4's story will surely seem bland and uninteresting by comparison.

  • quinnd6

    Posted Jul 18, 2009 9:35 pm PT

    It totally sucks the way suddenly everything seems to be getting delayed till 2010. All the take two games ie. bioshock 2 , max payne 3, read dead revolver 2 and now this (though this one would be pretty low on my list). What's going to get delayed next? splinter cell conviction? modern warfare 2? They're not delaying this game to improve it either btw because it's going to be the exact same as what Japan are getting on October 29th.

  • LegionXVIII

    Posted Jul 18, 2009 9:30 pm PT

    After Hideki Kamiya decided to rant about how other action games suck as compared to the ones he's created. I decided I would never again buy a game that he's worked on. Especially this one.

  • Sammonoske223

    Posted Jul 18, 2009 9:17 pm PT

    @ facistinabag

    Every game is a copy and past of every game. Your ranting has become invalid. Try again.

  • Furanko_Kun

    Posted Jul 18, 2009 9:00 pm PT

    Viewtiful Joe and Devil May Cry, my two favorite action games.
    May get this one later though, because of Mass Effect 2 and the Tekken 6 CE will probably hinder me in the wallet for a bit. xD

  • CobaltJewel1

    Posted Jul 18, 2009 7:03 pm PT

    January seems unwise to me: isn't everyone still poor after Christmas?

  • virgil_must_die

    Posted Jul 18, 2009 6:07 pm PT

    It might be like other asian action games, but considering that the guy who made it is responsible for the best action games maybe you can give it the benefit of the doubt! Personally im pissed its held back.

  • breadisgood

    Posted Jul 18, 2009 6:04 pm PT

    This game looks sweet imo. Sure it's cheesy as hell but the combat will no doubt be slick.

  • facistinabag

    Posted Jul 18, 2009 5:52 pm PT

    This game is a joke. It's a copy pasta of pretty much every asian action game ever created. It brings nothing new to the table except gimmicks and even more annoying voices.

    I don't care, this game looks like it has the depth of a puddle. Clearly it's Fap tool at best.

  • Newave

    Posted Jul 18, 2009 3:58 pm PT

    I am not buying this game in January.

    I was planning on buying it new so I could give it to myself as a xmas present, now I have no reason to buy it full price anymore and will wait for it to drop in price or be sold cheaper used/pre-owned/second-hand/whatever you call it.

    It is a shame though, because this would've been the first game I was going to buy brand new since Armored Core 2 and the first Zone Of The Enders.
    To me it was quite a big deal that after all these years I finally had a reason to buy a game when it was literally brand new... oh well, I'll save money because of this so I guess it's still fine... extremely disappointing, but still fine. *sigh*

  • Trogeton

    Posted Jul 18, 2009 3:54 pm PT

    yeah.. usually delays for some reason improve something.. Hopefully

  • chocolate1325

    Posted Jul 18, 2009 3:43 pm PT

    Hopefully the delay will make the game better.

  • BigBacon87

    Posted Jul 18, 2009 3:27 pm PT

    @xxThyLordxx

    I like that idea, but do you think the Japanese version of the game would include English subtitling as an option?

  • Glade_Gnarr

    Posted Jul 18, 2009 3:08 pm PT

    Too bad, I'm going to buy Darksiders on january.

  • deadcowboy6

    Posted Jul 18, 2009 2:34 pm PT

    I'm still not totally sold on this one, I'm gonna wait for the reviews which hopefully turn out positive

  • NamcoKun

    Posted Jul 18, 2009 12:03 pm PT

    :c ... a long time untill.

  • AzelKosMos

    Posted Jul 18, 2009 10:33 am PT

    I would rather wait for a better game then play a rushed one. Either way i will get it when it gets released.

  • Halcalix

    Posted Jul 18, 2009 10:11 am PT

    @CoreoVII

    A little offensive. I mean, I don't think I suck. Im as kind as I could possibly be

  • BarricadeS281E

    Posted Jul 18, 2009 9:56 am PT

    Guess they could be trying to break away from having to deal with other big titles interfering. Like if you theoretically had BioShock 2, Modern Warfare 2, and Assassin's Creed 2 coming out in the same time frame as Bayonetta, Kamiya's game would be swamped, and again, we would have nobody buying his great games. I own all of his directed games except Resident Evil 2 - will be getting that when it shows up on PSN.

  • xxThyLordxx

    Posted Jul 18, 2009 6:56 am PT

    so glad PS3 is region free. import, here I come.

  • Savvy30039

    Posted Jul 18, 2009 6:31 am PT

    I'm really looking forward to this game, but I'm actually not too disappointed with this delay. With the jampacked release schedule of Q4 and the ridiculous amount of money I'll be dropping on these games, games releasing at a different time of year and giving my wallet time to catch up is actually really helpful. Not to mention I don't have the time to play all these games at once.

advertisement

Related Content

Matches based on text similarity.

Hot Stories

Newsmakers

Featured Stories

Submit News

Got tips? Send them in!

Related Game

Bayonetta Boxshot
Bayonetta

Game Stats

  • Rank:
    17 of 84,348
    (down by 3)
    PS3 Rank:
    6 of 977
    Highest Rank:
    4 in 2010
    Tracking:
    1,643 Track It»
    Wishlists:
    1,055 Wish It»
  • Users Now Playing:
    202
  • Number of Players:

    1 Player

  • Top 5 User Tags:
    1. bayonetta
    2. platinumgames
    3. sega
    4. ps3
    5. witch
  • Mature Rating Description

    Titles rated M (Mature) have content that may be suitable for persons ages 17 and older. Titles in this category may contain intense violence, blood and gore, sexual content and/or strong language. Learn more

Full Game Details »Close
Also on

Recent News

See All News »

Site Blogs