Platinum Games has secured the full rights to the 2013 action gameThe Wonderful 101from Nintendo. Developed byPlatinum Gamesand published by Nintendo,The Wonderful 101was 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 aKickstarter campaign to bringThe Wonderful 101to 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.
As reported byVGC, Platinum Games sent a transfer request on August 19 to the United States Patent and Trademark Office requesting the full ownership rights toThe Wonderful 101franchise from Nintendo. Both Nintendo and Platinum have agreed to the transfer request, which took effect on Jul 25, 2025, meaning Platinum Games now has full control overThe Wonderful 101IP, 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 ofThe Wonderful 101franchise will be seen as a big win for Platinum Games in what has been a turbulent few years. After several high-profile failures such asScalebound,Babylon’s Fall, andWorld 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 Kamiyain 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 handThe Wonderful 101rights to Platinum Games so it could focus on the development of bothBayonettaandAstral Chainfranchises. Both games have been developed by Platinum Games but financed and published by Nintendo, with theBayonettafranchise proving the most popular with fans. The highly anticipatedBayonetta 3smashed sales recordsfor both Platinum and Nintendo when it was released in 2022.
While there is no word from Platinum Games about a potential sequel toThe 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 thatPlatinum Games could be one of the early supporters of the Switch 2with a remasteredBayonettatrilogy said to be in the works.
The Wonderful 101
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.
