Bayonetta is an action game for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 developed by Platinum Games in cooperation with publisher Sega. Set in a fictional city in Europe, the game centers on its title character, Bayonetta, who uses pistols and magical attacks to defeat enemies. The game has five difficulty settings; its two easiest settings contain a game mode playable with only one button, similar to a mode used in Devil May Cry. Its developers designed its characters with modern style and fashion in mind, and composed for it a largely upbeat soundtrack.

Development of the game started around January 2007, and it was released in Japan in late October 2009, with a U.S. release following in January 2010. It has been promoted through a television commercial with music by Japanese pop singer MiChi, look-alike searches, a theme for the Google Chrome Web browser, a photo book, and soundtracks. In the United States and the United Kingdom, commercials have featured La Roux's "In for the Kill (Skream's Let's Get Ravey Remix)".[3] Critical reviews have praised its easily learned yet deep combat, fast pace, boss battles, time slowdown or "Witch Time" mechanic, and character and stage designs. The game has sold over 1.35 million units worldwide.[4] On December 10th, 2010, IGN UK, in an episode of the weekly IGN Weekend Initiative show, announced that Bayonetta was their pick for the 2010 Game of the Year!