Astral Chain, released in 2019, is one of the biggest successes for Platinum Games in recent years. Upon its release, the Nintendo Switch exclusive was met with critical acclaim and went on to become a sales hit for both Platinum and Nintendo. After some speculation over why the game’s copyright was tweaked on the developer’s website earlier this month, Platinum has revealed that Nintendo owns theAstral ChainIP, meaning the developer has no control over the property.
Earlier this month, dedicated Platinum Games fans noticed thatthe studio’s web page forAstral Chainwas updatedto remove any references to Platinum in regards to the game’s copyright. This lead fans to believe that there had been a dispute between Platinum Games and Nintendo regarding the intellectual property, and perhaps even a sequel.
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Speaking to VGC, Platinum Games studio head Atsushi Inaba claimed “It’s as it looks… It’s as it is written on the website:Astral Chainis their IP and as such there are limitations on how much we feel we should talk about.”
There’s certainly some legal trepidation regarding the series that has made even the studio’s leader nervous about discussing it, implying that at some point Nintendo and Platinum were at an understanding regarding the game’s ownership, but now that has changed. Many have pointed toa similar case happening withThe Wonderful 101, another Platinum game that was exclusive to Wii U but owned by both parties. Some have begun to speculate that the rights to Astral Chain were transferred directly to Nintendo in order for Platinum to releaseThe Wonderful 101 Remasteredon PC, PlayStation 4, and Nintendo Switch in 2020.
Just over a year ago, Chinese conglomerate Tencent made a major investment in Platinum Games, resulting in the company announcing 4 new projects, opening a new studio and self-publishing its own titles. This could also be why Platinum has split off from Nintendo regarding theAstral ChainIP, with Nintendo potentially more interested in bringing inanother developer to continue the series.
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