Platinum Games exec says studio needs own IP to gain true independence

"Our long-term goal is to be totally independent." 

- Platinum Games cofounder Atsushi Inaba

Platinum Games has built a reputation in the development world for specializing in challenge-driven, combat-focused titles. Some of these are licensed from other intellectual properties, but some of their most popular entries have been original works like Bayonetta or The Wonderful 101. 

But though those titles are associated with Platinum Games, their respective publishers, Sega and Nintendo, own the IP. The same goes for their upcoming Xbox One title Scalebound. And Platinum Games cofounder Atsushi Inaba thinks the company needs to begin developing its own original game ideas if it’s going to thrive in the long term. 

Speaking to USGamer’s Kat Bailey, Inaba says that the company’s recent licensed gaming efforts have been a short-term measure for generating revenue, and that Platinum Games “doesn’t have a future” unless it develops its own IPs. 

“Because we don't have our own original IP, we don't have the chance to develop it, publish it,” Inaba tells Bailey. "We're trying to get used to the cycle of making sequels." 

As Platinum Games celebrates its 10th anniversary, the company seems to be meditating on the changing business conditions it needs to make its games. In December, Inaba told GameSpot that the company’s recent console exclusivity deals were necessary to develop the larger, riskier games it wants to produce.  

Inaba’s conversation with Bailey indicates that his concerns aren’t just about financial stability, but also about creative freedom for the studio. He tells USGamer that he still considers Platinum Games part of the Japanese independent game development community, and that when the company first started 10 years ago he feels they had “more freedom” to make the games they wanted to make.