2010 has been an excellent year for Platinum Games, with the North American releases of Bayonetta and Vanquish providing me some of the most memorable gaming I have had the pleasure of experiencing in a very long time. Now that they’ve reached the end of their four-game publishing deal with SEGA, what comes next for the studio that has made itself very near and dear to my heart? Well, obviously, potentially extending their partnership with SEGA for one more game! According to Alan Pritchard, executive VP of Sales and Marketing for SEGA, a fifth title from Platinum Games and SEGA will be announced!

I never got around to playing their other two games through SEGA. I’ve shifted most of my mobile gaming from my Nintendo DS to my iPhone, so an opportunity never came up to try Infinite Space, and at the time that MadWorld came out I was fully immersed in Super Mario Galaxy, having only recently received my Nintendo Wii. With the success of Bayonetta, and the respectable performance by Vanquish, it would not be hard to conceive a sequel to either game, or perhaps the creation of a new gaming franchise. Vanquish did leave an opening at the end, after all, for continuing the story. At the end of the day, however, I think I would prefer to be amazed and intrigued by another new IP, in the same way Bayonetta and Vanquish did.

What are your thoughts? Would you prefer a new IP, a Bayonetta sequel, or a Vanquish sequel? Or, if you are a fan of Infinite Space or MadWorld, would you prefer a sequel to one of those?

[Pritchard source: Game Informer, via Joystiq]