Bayonetta producer and director Yusuke Hashimoto leaves PlatinumGames

Yusuke Hashimoto, who produced Bayonetta and directed Bayonetta 2, has left PlatinumGames.

Hashimoto has been at the company since it was founded 12 years ago in 2007.

An announcement from me: pic.twitter.com/aXPUfJY6sp

— 橋本祐介 Yusuke Hashimoto (@yusuke8shimoto) February 15, 2019

"This tweet will be a little more personal than usual," reads Hashimoto’s tweet (thanks, GI.biz), announcing the departure. "Yesterday, January 31st, [the tweet was posted February 14] was my last day at PlatinumGames.

"The memories I made during my 13 years at Platinum, working with dozens of talented individuals on Bayonetta, Bayonetta 2, and Star Fox Zero, are priceless to me. Let me take this opportunity to share my thanks with anyone who has worked with me, supported me, or played my games. I hope to take the experiences I gained at Platinum and use them on whatever I work on in the future. Thank you again."

It’s unclear if Hashimoto had been working on Nintendo Switch exclusive Bayonetta 3, and there was no further information about the fan-favourite action game at yesterday’s Nintendo Direct. Other than a couple of follow up tweets thanking people for their kind words at the shock announcement, Hashimoto has said nothing more about the exit.

Hashimoto is not the only recent high-profile exit. Final Fantasy XV director, Hajime Tabata, left Square Enix at the end of last year and established new studio JP Games. As yet it’s unclear what kind of projects the studio will pursue, despite claims he would reveal what he’s planning in a January 2019 launch.

"I started up my own company called ‘JP Games, Inc,’ Tabata said via a statement. "Right now, we are preparing for a target January 2019 launch. And to everyone who has assisted me until today–I kindly ask for your ongoing support."