What you need to know
- Developer on canceled Xbox-exclusive RPG, Scalebound, PlatinumGames, has expressed interest in reopening discussions around the project with Microsoft.
- "We'd like to have a proper discussion with Microsoft," stated PlatinumGames president Atsushi Inaba in an IGN Japan interview.
- "We'd like to do something about it. Phil! Let's do it together!" added vice president Hideki Kamiya, calling upon Microsoft Gaming CEO, Phil Spencer.
- Scalebound was canceled in 2017, once developed for Xbox One and Windows PCs by PlatinumGames, and to be published by Microsoft Studios.
PlatinumGames remains open to reviving its canceled Xbox-exclusive action role-playing project, Scalebound, according to new comments from the studio. The collaboration between Microsoft and the Japanese studio was once set to debut in 2017, later abruptly canceled, much to the disappointment of fans.
While Scalebound remains abandoned after half a decade, the project was a contentious chapter in Xbox's first-party history. The RPG garnered a following with its reveal, with some calling on the duo to revisit its playful premise. Microsoft has since reinvented its in-house creative output, acquiring several studios, and dropping billions on publishers like Activision Blizzard and Bethesda.
However, according to new comments from PlatinumGames president Atsushi Inaba, and vice president Hideki Kamiya, PlatinumGames appears keen to reopen discussions. "Kamiya has always wanted to do Scalebound. So we'd like to have a proper discussion with Microsoft," stated Inaba, speaking with IGN Japan (via a VGC report.)
"We did a lot of work on it, and it's no use Microsoft keeping the game in its current form, so we'd like to do something about it (laughs). Phil! Let's do it together!" added Kamiya, calling on Microsoft Gaming CEO, Phil Spencer.
Scalebound made its debut back in 2014 following Microsoft's Xbox One console launch. Developed by PlatinumGames, best known for Bayonetta and Nier: Automata, the RPG centered around fighting monsters with an arsenal of weapons and dragon companions. The title was also set to support four-player online co-op over Xbox Live.
While Microsoft remains quiet on Scalebound following its cancellation, PlatinumGames has provided insight into the troubled project. Inaba stated "both sides failed" in a 2019 interview, citing various challenges which impeded development.
"The hurdles we had to overcome were very big. We weren't experienced enough and couldn't get over that wall, leading to what happened in the end," Kamiya said in an apology to Microsoft and fans last year.
"I'm sorry to the players who looked forward to it, and moreover I'm sorry to Microsoft who had placed their trust in us as a business partner. I want to apologize both as a creator and as a member of PlatinumGames."
