When Microsoft confirmed they were cancelling the Platinum Games-developed action game filled with dragons, Scalebound, many fans were upset – to say the least. Platinum Games boss and game director Hideki Kamiya even apologized to fans over the game being scrapped.
Now, the company has renewed the trademark for the game (thanks, NeoGAF), and rumors are swirling that the project has been revived and given another chance. One such “industry insider” is claiming development on the game has resumed with an important Microsoft team at the helm.
The rumors are mostly pointing to Platinum Games not being on the project, and that it’s being rebooted from the ground up. This means we’ll probably be seeing a Scalebound entirely different from what Kamiya and crew were toiling away over for years.
Could we see the game resurface at this year’s E3? We’ll hopefully find out in the coming months.
DrearierSpider
May 18, 2017 at 11:39 am“One such “industry insider” is claiming development on the game has resumed with an important Microsoft team at the helm.”
Well that certainly doesn’t bode well. What has any 1st party Microsoft studio made that’s really great in the last decade?
Madbrainbox
May 18, 2017 at 11:42 amThey insist on making the situation worse.
Mr0303
May 18, 2017 at 11:48 amAt least half of the hype behind the game was because it was developed by Platinum. I doubt fans will be too happy if this magically returns under a new studio.
PixelBuff
May 18, 2017 at 12:02 pmwat.
Kamiya should just tell them to fuck off tbh. With Automata being a smash, Bayo on Steam selling like hotcakes, Vanquish coming, Microsoft needs him, not the other way around.
“Fool me once shame on you” and all..
MusouTensei
May 18, 2017 at 12:17 pmIf that’s true it’s the scummiest shit MS has done.
catazxy
May 18, 2017 at 12:21 pmShitty, but I want to see where this is going…
HowlJenkins
May 18, 2017 at 12:33 pmHas the tidal wave of one GOTY contender after another on all platforms EXCEPT Microsoft’s finally got to them?
Seriously. Just let Kamiya do his thing. 9.9/10 times, he does not disappoint.
HowlJenkins
May 18, 2017 at 12:33 pmOh boy would I not give a shit about this anymore if that’s what they’re trying to do.
Random Dude
May 18, 2017 at 12:47 pmIs this even legal? Isn’t Scalebound a joint project between Platinum Games and Microsoft, shouldn’t Plat at least given some say over this canceled project?
EDIT: Should’ve read the article first. Forget the above, I suck dicks and I suck at it.
TT
May 18, 2017 at 1:01 pm“Now we apologize that Platinum will not be working on the title, but we have the next best thing and got the development team of the classic title Mighty No 9 to help us finish it up for you eager fans”
-Microsoft, probably.
I swear though, if it does come to something like that, I’m not sure whether to cry for Platinum or laugh at Microsoft.
Uncle Ocelot
May 18, 2017 at 1:11 pmEven if Platinum were still on it (doesn’t sound like it) I wouldn’t be too interested, based on the rumours of executive meddling from MS.
2501
May 18, 2017 at 1:20 pmKamiya should just salvage the project and turn it into a Drakengard game. I think Taro would be down with it.
2501
May 18, 2017 at 1:30 pmSounds like a Frankenstein project to me. What’s Kamiya’s response to this? As far as i know he has been trying to make Scalebound since Platinum’s inception in 06, i doubt he will be pleased to know that they are continuing his “dream-game” without his involvement.
RichardGristle
May 18, 2017 at 2:01 pmWhat a goddamn disaster this game was/is/will be.
And I still don’t understand why anyone was ever hype for it.
Rough
May 18, 2017 at 2:09 pm>Game announced
>Time goes by
>Bad development happens
>The person/team working on it is now changed
Is this gonna be the next FFXV?
Ruggarell
May 18, 2017 at 2:22 pmThis shit gonna crash harder than the titanic bruh LMAO.
Matz
May 18, 2017 at 3:29 pmAt least FFXV was made by somebody from the same company with almost the same mindset, if the rumors are true, this will be made by a Western Dev with a complete different mindset, as far as I know they could turn this game into a Poor Man’s Skyrim with a bland and generic MC with awful combat
Matz
May 18, 2017 at 3:30 pmBecause Platinum Games, people expected an interesting Open-World RPG with a good combat system
Kiwi Hoy
May 18, 2017 at 3:49 pm“Bland and generic MC with awful combat” so, just actually Skyrim then?
Joel Leonheart
May 18, 2017 at 4:04 pmWell this is really idiotic especially if Kamiya(Platinum Games) is not finishing it
What the hell Microsoft??
GameZard
May 18, 2017 at 4:20 pmMajor bitch move Microsoft.
sanic
May 18, 2017 at 5:27 pmWhat will happen… will microsoft save the project? Or shit all over the floor by handing it over to ninja theory or something…
Nagato
May 18, 2017 at 5:40 pmNier Automata proves that we should’ve never expected as much, however.
Uncle Ocelot
May 18, 2017 at 6:09 pmSkyrim at least has the excuse of the MC being a blank slate so you can make them whatever you want to roleplay them to be, the new devs would probably turn Scalebound’s MC into Donte 2.0.
Matz
May 18, 2017 at 6:35 pmThe MC already looked like a White Haired Donte
Mantiskilla
May 18, 2017 at 7:04 pmForza franchise is pretty damn good, especially Horizon series
Neojames82
May 18, 2017 at 8:49 pmIt will probably be westerized the hell and back, meaning it will likely have no real soul or originality.
Casey
May 18, 2017 at 9:43 pmNo Platinum, no buy. Fuck off Microsoft.
Lea Pastillaroja
May 18, 2017 at 10:25 pmOri and the Blind Fores is one of the best Metroidvanias out there
I’m still in complete disbelief that such a game was done by a M$ studio, wich certainly tells a lot about M$’s studios usual quality…
Insanelly Twisted Shadow Planet was also pretty good to…
That’s it, those are the only games worth the plastic of their discs i can think of that came from M$ and they are both 2D
Lea Pastillaroja
May 18, 2017 at 10:27 pmThe only reason anyone ever gave a fraction of a fuck about such a generic looking game was because Platinum Games name was atached to it
And now M$ is trying to revive this corpse by giving the remains to some unknown (possibly western) dev?
Are they retarded?
If the result is anything less than flawless (AND IT WILL BE BECOS M$) the internet is gonna tear it a new asshole
Kamiya won’t be happy, the fans even less
Fenrir007
May 18, 2017 at 11:11 pmTake away Platinum and the only reason to keep this on my radar is gone. Better to just keep it dead.
InkBrush
May 19, 2017 at 12:47 amI could honestly say KI 2013 despite it being a free to play game. But actually handled well and didn’t need Rare to actually make it.
Would want them to put Banjo in for another Rare character besides Rash, just to piss off those that are still defending Yooka-Laylee.Uncle Ocelot
May 19, 2017 at 4:30 amKind of yeah, like if Nero was in DmC. It’d probably get even worse than that, the original seemed more cheesy than edgy.
AuraMaster DX (austin9568)
May 19, 2017 at 9:16 amWell now, this is interesting
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/402afc3f88eabdb6f70cad5a60e3da119bcf2e19c0cd2d1dbbefccd9200e086e.gif
Phasmatis75
May 19, 2017 at 9:46 amThat’s because it was developed by an independent studio called Moon Studios and Microsoft only picked up publishing and distribution. They’re consider a third party studio for Microsoft.
Phasmatis75
May 19, 2017 at 9:46 amWhat was the .1?
Phasmatis75
May 19, 2017 at 9:49 amMicrosoft is filled to the brim with HB-1 Visa holders and diversity hires. What do you think?
Phasmatis75
May 19, 2017 at 9:50 amGoing to be hilarious when everyone gives the project grief over not being developed by Platinum Games. I honestly feel a bit sorry for the developers of this project. They’re going to find out really quickly that no one wants them on it or wants the product. A real buzz kill when you’re developing.
DrearierSpider
May 19, 2017 at 10:42 amDidn’t think of that, I’m not really into racers. I’d probably try FH3 if it weren’t locked to the Windows Store, especially since they fixed the CPU threading issues in the latest update.
ProxyDoug
May 19, 2017 at 10:57 amGod, I’d fucking love that.
ProxyDoug
May 19, 2017 at 10:58 amI think they had their finger pretty deep already since that multiplayer looked very out of place.
ProxyDoug
May 19, 2017 at 10:59 amSimilar to how Capcom made Devil May Cry 2 without having him involved, and look how that turned out.
ProxyDoug
May 19, 2017 at 11:01 amWasn’t it Kamiya’s pet project? MS better get ready for some salt.
2501
May 19, 2017 at 2:00 pmKamiya doesn’t do sequels, he was never involved in DMC2.
HowlJenkins
May 19, 2017 at 3:33 pmIts just for the half dozen or so people who might disagree (somehow?)
BurntToShreds
May 19, 2017 at 8:52 pmAfter the game’s cancellation and the ensuing outrage, I looked back at the gameplay they had released and thought to myself “People are ANGRY that this game was canceled?” The game had none of the fast, precise combat I’ve come to expect from Kamiya and Platinum. If anything, Kamiya should be thankful he dodged a bullet by not having his title considered the most mediocre AAA Platinum game that was ever made.
BurntToShreds
May 19, 2017 at 8:59 pmI still don’t understand why people thought Scalebound looked like a good game. The combat looked slow and unintuitive, nothing like Platinum’s regular fare. If anything, Kamiya should be glad his name and studio won’t be attached to the project anymore if the rumors of its revival are true.
And again, that’s a big if. Companies renew trademarks that they never use all the time. I mean, hell, Star Wars Galaxies got its trademark renewed in 2014, three years after the servers shut down, but there’s been zero indication that anything is gonna be done with it.
Phasmatis75
May 19, 2017 at 9:24 pmFair enough. I was kind of expecting a random project he was a part of at some point that didn’t pan out.
Malcolm_Ecks
May 19, 2017 at 9:26 pmPlatinum’s name was enough for people.
Γεώργιος Αρχαιοκαπηλίδης
May 19, 2017 at 9:48 pm>Revive the project
>Give them to a different development company
YOU HAD ONE JOB, MICROSOFT!
BurntToShreds
May 19, 2017 at 9:54 pmThat’s what irks me. People need to stop supporting a game just because of the name of the studio or the people working on it. Mighty No. 9 and Platinum’s own TMNT: Mutants in Manhattan should have instilled a level of wariness in that practice. But instead people seem to be going full-throttle in the opposite direction of that, especially in regards to supporting Kojima’s Death Stranding. It’s had zero gameplay shown, likely way too much money spent on celebrity talent, and has been stated by Kojima himself to be open world with no talk from him or the rest of his studio about if they learned any lessons from how bland and lifeless MGSV’s world felt, yet people are still keen to give the game their unconditional support.
Jack
May 20, 2017 at 12:28 amSmells like Lionhead to me
SiliconNooB
May 20, 2017 at 1:00 amThere is no Scalebound without Platinum.
Makoto
May 20, 2017 at 11:27 amMS credibility as a gaming company is so low now… i don’t even care about what comes out of this new scalebound project but this could be the 1st project to revive it and make me believe that Scorpio isn’t just a PC with Windows store on it.
Malcolm_Ecks
May 20, 2017 at 3:43 pmI agree with your sentiment, however, in the case of Death Stranding the hype is only slightly more justified. Hear me out.
From Tim Schafer to Keiji Inafune and the recent crowdfunded game disasters, what was the common factor? They all had no clue how to manage funds. Once they got off the tit of nearly infinite publishing funds, beloved cult devs showed that it takes more than a good idea and a solid rep to make a game that’s more than mediocre.
Kojima’s case is different. He’s on Sony’s payroll, not some BS Kickstarter. Kojima Productions doesn’t have to worry about money management nearly as much. Now you’re still right about the hype being way too fucking much, and as much as I like Kojima, I’m still going to practice a Total Biscuit style cautiousness when it comes to Death Stranding. But the man does have 30+ years of experience and no major stinkers (as unfinished as MGSV was, it was still better than most games the year it came out and the year after that….which is sad). Tim Schafer couldn’t even say that before he went full indie.
2501
May 20, 2017 at 7:29 pmThere’s an amusing interview with Tomonobu Itagaki where he talks about Kamiya’s games – noticeably Okami and how he thought it was a shit game. He also got salty when he heard Kamiya say that here has been no action game to surpass DMC1. Funny how alike those two can be at times.
Foshizal101
May 20, 2017 at 11:57 pmThat’s exactly what he said though, he wasn’t in DMC2 which is one of the reasons it turned to shit. Also Kamiya did direct Resident Evil 2 and wrote for Bayo 2 and Viewtiful Joe 2
Dale Frewaldt
May 21, 2017 at 11:30 amScummier than cancelling Fable: Legends while in active consumer playtesting & closing Lionhead Studios?
Scummier than forcing Rare to almost exclusively produce shovelware for the Kinect?
Scummier than prepackaging Kinect 2.0 with the Xbox One, only to never make use of it?
Scummier than invalidating the entire existence of the Xbox brand by releasing exclusives on PC in the end anyway?
Dale Frewaldt
May 21, 2017 at 11:31 amSpoiler: Scorpio is just a PC with Windows store on it.
MusouTensei
May 21, 2017 at 12:18 pmYes.
Jose Flanders
May 22, 2017 at 5:37 pmXBOTs might be MEGATON OMG…but real gamers will be like NOPE ship already sailed,