Nintendo Once Took the Ultimate Risk With a Rare Playboy Magazine Shoot Nearly Eight Years Ago

There have been several moments in the history of video games where developers have come up with shocking ways of promoting the most hyped and anticipated titles. Nintendo happens to be one such giant that once made a unique and jaw-dropping collaboration with a famous brand.

This story dates back almost eight years ago during the time of the launch of Bayonetta 2. The sequel was about to release for the Nintendo Wii U platform and there was a lot of excitement regarding the return of its protagonist Cereza. However, the game became popular for something else as well, especially during its promotional phase.

When Nintendo decided to promote Bayonetta 2 with a Playboy magazine photoshoot!

Playboy is an American lifestyle and entertainment magazine. Until 2020, it operated in print and online format for releasing its issues. As of now, it has stopped publishing print editions. Playboy is known as one of the world’s best-known brands and is famous for publishing magazines featuring explicit content. In a way, you could say most of them contain a lot of exposure.

Now Nintendo being a gaming giant came up with an interesting move ahead of the launch of Bayonetta 2 in 2014. Everyone knows that the series is popular for its female protagonist Cereza who kills enemies in many stylish ways.

Keeping that into consideration, Nintendo’s executives decided to team up with Playboy to promote Bayonetta 2. Yes, they literally did it, and Playboy even had a photoshoot themed on Cereza herself.

For many fans, this collaboration was quite unexpected, as Nintendo is generally seen as a family-friendly company. On other hand, Playboy is a proper adult-oriented magazine brand.

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Speaking of the photoshoot itself, then it featured Playboy’s Playmate of the Month for October 2012, Pamela Horton. She shot in the iconic leather outfit of the female protagonist, while imitating her looks.

Nearly eight years after the sequel, the third entry in the franchise is now ready to make an appearance. Bayonetta 3 will arrive later in 2022 for the Switch console. Interestingly, the Mario maker has done something unexpected this time as well for the game. Upon the release, the title will also get a special option to censor the NSFW elements featuring its characters.

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What are your expectations for the upcoming installment? Also, did you already know about Nintendo’s crossover with Playboy? Let us know in the comments.