Sega, PlatinumGames Partner For Four-Title Deal

Author: by Brandon Boyer, Brandon Sheffield

Publisher Sega has officially announced a four-game deal with PlatinumGames, the group made up of Okami, Devil May Cry, and God Hand creators, with ultraviolent Wii title MADWORLD, DS RPG Infinite Line, next-gen action title Bayonetta and one unannounced title in the works. Gamasutra attended the Sega/PlatinumGames showcase in San Francisco, where Sega U.S. president Simon Jeffery discussed the new four-title deal, calling it "the most exciting partnership in the game business in the last two or three years." "These guys are some of the most talented, some of the most respected guys in the game business," said Jefferey. "They're revered - they're almost worshiped in some parts of the gaming community." Set for release at the beginning of 2009, Sega says the Atsushi Inaba (Okami) produced Wii-exclusive MADWORLD will feature a black and white style that "straddles graphic novels and 3D worlds." The game, which is directed by Capcom alum Shigenori Nishikawa (Dino Crisis 2, Resident Evil 4) will see players using environment objects like chainsaws and street signs as weapons against enemies with a sports-commentary like soundtrack, "irreverent humor and over-the-top violence." Inaba is also co-producing DS space RPG Infinite Line along with Nude Maker's Hifumi Kouno -- formerly director of Capcom's Steel Battalion, also set for release in 2009. Sega says the game will give players the ability to "control, build, outfit and customize more than 150 spaceships," with over 200 characters, and multiple controllable ships. Finally, the last announced Platinum title is Bayonetta, a "stylish and cinematic action game," from Devil May Cry and Viewtiful Joe creator Hideki Kamiya. Again set for a 2009 release on Xbox 360 and PS3, the game will feature "a witch with powers beyond the comprehension of mere mortals." Sega says the game will see Bayonetta go up against "countless angelic enemies, many reaching epic proportions, in a game of 100% pure, unadulterated all-out action," with "outlandish finishing moves performed with balletic grace" and "stages that are a veritable theme park of exciting attractions." One more title is to be produced through the deal, though remains unannounced and undetailed, apart from the fact that it will be directed by Resident Evil and God Hand creator Shinji Mikami. At Sega's event unveiling the games, Jeffery called the partnership a key part of its ongoing "enormous effort revitalizing its business," as the company has now "completely embraced life as a multi-platform publisher instead of a hardware company." Said Platinum president and CEO Tatsuya Minami at the event, "I'm very excited and happy to be able to announce this partnership... our company has not been around for very long, but we have a mission to create very unique and very special types of games." Gamasutra will have more details and interviews from the Sega and PlatinumGames San Francisco press event in the near future.