New Nintendo Switch 2 game sequel in development hell claims rumour

A follow-up to a beloved Nintendo Switch game has been subject to internal delays according to a new rumour, but there’s still hope for it on Switch 2.

The future of Bayonetta and NeiR:Automata developer PlatinumGames has been a concern for fans for a long time now, especially following a string of staff exits.

Things started to look particularly bad following the departure of co-founder Hideki Kamiya, who has set up a new studio with some of his former Platinum colleagues. Others have left the studio as well, including Bayonetta Origins director Abebe Tinari who has joined Housemarque.

Thankfully though there have been some recent signs of life, with promised Bayonetta anniversary celebrations and the annoucement of Ninja Gaiden 4, but a new rumour claims the developer has also been working on a sequel to Astral Chain, but that it has been subject to ‘significant delays’.

The rumour comes from the PlatinumGames subreddit and relates to information allegedly obtained from an ex-employee at the studio, which dates back to winter 2024.

According to the post, Astral Chain 2 has been in the works since early 2021, two years after the original game launched in 2019. The sequel, however, is said to have faced ‘a number of internal problems’, including widespread budget cuts and staff being shifted to other projects.

Kamiya is cited as helping to get the project back on track in 2022, prior to his departure, with the team behind the sequel supposedly being ‘basically the same’ as the first. Astral Chain was directed by Takahisa Taura, alongside Nintendo’s Kaori Ando and Makato Okazaki.

A year later in 2023, however, it’s claimed Astral Chain publisher Nintendo ‘rebooted’ the sequel due to ‘significant delays’ and ‘money being recklessly spent’ at PlatinumGames, with the intention of it being a Switch 2 title.

While the source doesn’t know what happened to the game after it was allegedly rebooted, they claim Platinum ‘was engaging in discussions to retain the game’s development, as Nintendo was threatening to hand the project (or part of it) over to another external studio’.

Since Astral Chain 2 has never been officially announced it’s important to take all this with a huge grain of salt. Nintendo does own the Astral Chain IP though, so it’s certainly possible that a sequel is in development without Platinum’s involvement.

The big mystery in all this is the whereabouts of Astral Chain director Takahisa Taura. He was speculated to have left Platinum last year, after removing the studio from his Twitter profile, but this is unconfirmed.

His Facebook profile lists him as working at Eel Game Studio though, which appears to be a new venture in Tokyo, based on company listings.

If there’s truth to this rumour, it’s possible Taura could be working on the sequel to Astral Chain at this new venture in partnership with Nintendo. GameCentral has reached out to PlatinumGames and Taura for comment.

While it’s unclear if a sequel to Astral Chain is in development, Taura said the original game sold better than expected. In June 2020, it had sold 1.14 million copies, which is higher than most Platinum titles, so that certainly feels like enough motivation for a follow-up.

Aside from Ninja Gaiden 4, we know little about what PlatinumGames is working on next. The studio previously announced Project G.G., but it’s unclear if it is still in development following director Kamiya’s exit.

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