The list of big hitters for the remainder of this year suffers yet another casualty, as Sega announced today that its stylish action title Bayonetta has been pushed back to January 2010 in North America.

However, the title is still scheduled for an October 29 over in Japan, leading us to believe this is more of a marketing decision, not a last minute quail for additional development time. A wise choice, especially when considering Bayonetta is an all-new IP. Releasing it during these busy fall and winter months could spell doom at retail. Sega is playing it safe.

“Bayonetta is an extremely important new IP for SEGA and adds a new level of depth to our growing portfolio. As a result of market analysis we have taken a Publishing decision that January 2010 is the optimum release time in the Western Markets to maximize this exciting new title’s potential,” stated Sega boss Mike Hayes.

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