Platinum Games has secured the full rights to the 2013 action game The Wonderful 101 from Nintendo. Developed by Platinum Games and published by Nintendo, The Wonderful 101 was a well-received Wii U exclusive game, although the sales fell short of expectations.
In 2020, Platinum Games acquired the publishing rights to the game from Nintendo and launched a Kickstarter campaign to bring The Wonderful 101 to modern consoles. Fans of the game made sure that the demand for the game was there, leading to Platinum Games smashing the initial $50,000 goal in less than half an hour. Four years later, it seems the team at Platinum Games has secured much more than the rights to the remastered version of the game.
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As reported by VGC, Platinum Games sent a transfer request on August 19 to the United States Patent and Trademark Office requesting the full ownership rights to The Wonderful 101 franchise from Nintendo. Both Nintendo and Platinum have agreed to the transfer request, which took effect on September 9, 2024, meaning Platinum Games now has full control over The Wonderful 101 IP, including any subsequent sequels or spin-offs developed in the future.
Platinum Games Acquires the Full Rights to The Wonderful 101 Franchise
Regaining complete control of The Wonderful 101 franchise will be seen as a big win for Platinum Games in what has been a turbulent few years. After several high-profile failures such as Scalebound, Babylon’s Fall, and World of Demons, the Japanese developer has tried to break away from its long-standing relationships with larger industry giants and branch out into publishing its own titles. On top of this, Platinum Games parted ways with one of its co-founders Hideki Kamiya in 2023 owing to a change in direction at the studio.
Relinquishing an IP is an unusual move for Nintendo as the console giant tends to keep all its owned properties, even if it has no plans to use them. Nintendo might have decided to hand The Wonderful 101 rights to Platinum Games so it could focus on the development of both Bayonetta and Astral Chain franchises. Both games have been developed by Platinum Games but financed and published by Nintendo, with the Bayonetta franchise proving the most popular with fans. The highly anticipated Bayonetta 3 smashed sales records for both Platinum and Nintendo when it was released in 2022.
While there is no word from Platinum Games about a potential sequel to The Wonderful 101, the studio has previously expressed a desire to revisit the series. As fans wait to hear about a potential sequel, it is rumored that Platinum Games could be one of the early supporters of the Switch 2 with a remastered Bayonetta trilogy said to be in the works.
The Wonderful 101
- Released
- August 23, 2013
- ESRB
- e
- Developer(s)
- Platinum Games
- Publisher(s)
- Platinum Games, Nintendo
- Engine
- platinum engine
- Multiplayer
- Online Multiplayer
WHERE TO PLAY
A team of heroes from around the world must UNITE to protect the earth from vicious alien invaders! This band of 100 Wonderful Ones works together using their fantastic abilities to create a variety of forms. Whether it be a giant fist or a sharp blade, they’ll use their wits and power to overcome the enemy’s pitfalls and perils! And the final member of this team of courageous heroes—is you.
From PlatinumGames, creators of the Bayonetta series, ASTRAL CHAIN, NieR:Automata, and Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance, comes The Wonderful 101: Remastered! This game will be PlatinumGames' first self-published title, and is a powered-up version of The Wonderful 101, originally released by Nintendo on September 15th, 2013 as a Wii U exclusive.
The Wonderful 101: Remastered offers the unprecedented ability to control 100 heroes at once, with the flowing controls and dynamic action that are the PlatinumGames hallmark. It’s all brought together by a pulse pounding tale of heroic bravery and friendship standing tall against evil, and is PlatinumGames’ most ambitious offering to date.
Hideki Kamiya, director of The Wonderful 101, has supervised this remaster and added numerous improvements to ensure that this game can be more easily and thoroughly enjoyed by all and on various platforms, and with improved visuals, framerate, and loading time for an enhanced experience on all fronts.
- Platform(s)
- Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Wii U, Amazon Luna
- Genre(s)
- Platformer, Action-Adventure, Beat 'Em Up, Strategy, Adventure
- How Long To Beat
- 17 hours
