No official numbers have been revealed. A little trusted birdie told us that, as of mid-April 2015, the game's sold 157k units in the States. IIRC the last time the game charted on Japan it had sold 50k, but that's like three weeks after launch. This is missing present-day numbers, major territories like Europe and digital sales also, but...going from this, I wouldn't be surprised if the game hasn't reached 400k worldwide
With such sales, one could think the franchise has no future, that Nintendo won't be interested in pursuing future Bayonetta games. Yet...Maybe they don't see it this way? This is a Wii U game. That affected its sales' potential from the start. Sure, there are success stories, you have your Marios, your Smash, your Kart, Zeldas, your Splatoon...But you also have franchises like Donkey Kong and Kirby underperforming, and those are veteran IPs with mainstream appeal and quite the big legacy.
There's also all the prestige and critical acclaim Bayonetta 2 received; it's currently sitting pretty at Metacritic with a 91 score, and while I don't care much for the site, Nintendo themselves have brought it up for marketing purposes in the past. Why, the game was even nominated at the Game Awards for GOTY! A legit event in Nintendo's eyes, otherwise Miyamoto and Aonuma wouldn't have bothered to show up, much less premiered an exclusive look at Zelda U there.
So it may be delusion on my part, but, I think there's a chance Nintendo ain't letting go of Bayonetta in the future. The game expands their portfolio, it drowns them in accolades, it was an exclusive to brag about snatching. Despite its sales, do you think they're content with them under the circumstances, and may pursue the IP again down the road?
With such sales, one could think the franchise has no future, that Nintendo won't be interested in pursuing future Bayonetta games. Yet...Maybe they don't see it this way? This is a Wii U game. That affected its sales' potential from the start. Sure, there are success stories, you have your Marios, your Smash, your Kart, Zeldas, your Splatoon...But you also have franchises like Donkey Kong and Kirby underperforming, and those are veteran IPs with mainstream appeal and quite the big legacy.
There's also all the prestige and critical acclaim Bayonetta 2 received; it's currently sitting pretty at Metacritic with a 91 score, and while I don't care much for the site, Nintendo themselves have brought it up for marketing purposes in the past. Why, the game was even nominated at the Game Awards for GOTY! A legit event in Nintendo's eyes, otherwise Miyamoto and Aonuma wouldn't have bothered to show up, much less premiered an exclusive look at Zelda U there.
So it may be delusion on my part, but, I think there's a chance Nintendo ain't letting go of Bayonetta in the future. The game expands their portfolio, it drowns them in accolades, it was an exclusive to brag about snatching. Despite its sales, do you think they're content with them under the circumstances, and may pursue the IP again down the road?