Bayonetta 3 has potentially taken one step further to actually releasing, as the game seems to have been given both an ESRB and PEGI rating. While these ratings can't be found on the official sites, they were actually spotted on Nintendo's official US and UK accounts by Twitter user The_Marmolade (thanks, VGC).Bayonetta 3 has been rated M by the ESRB and 18 by PEGI as it will apparently include violence, blood and gore, partial nudity, strong language, and in-game purchases. Basically, pretty much everything you'd expect from a Bayonetta game.Related: After All These Years, Bayonetta 3 Is Right On TimeWhy is this significant? Well, a game receiving an ESRB or PEGI rating usually indicates that the game is pretty close to release. For example, Skull and Bones was rated shortly before Ubisoft announced it would be launching on November 8, just in time to be eaten alive by God of War: Ragnarok. Despite being revealed last year for that the game would release in 2022, Bayonetta 3 still doesn't have a specific launch date, but it looks like that may change soon if these ratings are anything to go on.

This news is likely to instill a newfound hope in a lot of people, especially Bayonetta fans who have been worried the game might not make its planned 2022 launch following its absence from Nintendo's latest Direct. Fans could be found all over various social media platforms expressing their sadness and frustration, with one fan calling it a "bold move" for Nintendo to be so quiet regarding one of its most anticipated titles.

Whatever the case, even if Bayonetta 3 doesn't quite make 2022, the wait can't be too much longer as director Yusuke Miyata explained back in September 2021 that the game is in the "home stretch of development." Granted, it's been a pretty long home stretch, but Bayonetta 3's new ratings should give fans a renewed sense of optimism.

Next: Netflix's Resident Evil Is The Most Faithful Adaptation Yet