Bayonetta Cheaper On PS3 Than 360

Well, hello. Spencer found something very interesting over at the Gamestop website. The PS3 version of Bayonetta is priced at $54.99, while the 360 version costs the full $59.99.

While it’s not a huge difference, the reduced price may be in light of the widespread concern that the game was developed for the Xbox 360 by Platinum Games and then ported over to Sony’s console by SEGA. Or it could be a Gamestop and Amazon decision.

Something to note: During its first day on Japanese shelves, the PS3 version of Bayonetta sold 93,000 copies while the 360 version sold a (relatively) respectable 45,000 copies. We’ll know how closely the two match up in the coming weeks, given that the PS3 version received a far larger initial shipment; however, the gap in their sales is far less than other, similarly anticipated multiplatform releases.

For comparison, the first day sales of Resident Evil 5 and Devil May Cry 4 in Japan were as follows:

Resident Evil 5 
PS3: 222,000
360: 56,000

Devil May Cry 4
PS3: 140,000
360: 30,000

It’s hard to say whether the smaller difference between PS3 and 360 sales of Bayonetta is due to this port business or the fact that it isn’t a franchise historically associated with the PlayStation brand. Still, while the PS3 version is in no danger of lagging behind its 360 counterpart in Japan, the reduced Gamestop price suggests that this may a concern in the U.S.

And to think all of this could have been avoided had Platinum Games simply not chosen to include that odd notice at the end of the Bayonetta demo.