While the Xbox team had a tremendous comeback towards the end of the previous console generation, there were several key errors along the way, the most severe of which being the cancelation of Scalebound, a PlatinumGames exclusive. Since then, the IP has been in doubt, but it appears that Platinum is willing to restart the project provided Microsoft agrees.
The action RPG was supposed to be released in 2017 as an Xbox exclusive, however, it was ultimately canceled. Platinum's president Atsushi Inaba and vice president Hideki Kamiya were asked if they'd like to revisit the game in a new interview with IGN Japan (translated by VGC), and for the first time showed an interest in talking to Microsoft.
Although both Microsoft and PlatinumGames have already explained what happened with Scalebound, Kamiya has recently taken complete blame for the project's discontinuation. There are no official tweets from developers regarding this, so the community's tweets and discussions have been attached below.
In the interview with IGN Japan, Inaba said:
Scalebound's director, Kamiya, further said:
Inaba has been promoted to company president since the cancelation of Scalebound. He added that he'd like Platinum to focus on bolder, riskier projects now that he's in charge, in another interview published following the promotion.
Following speculation in 2020 that Scalebound would be revived, Phil Spencer debunked the claims, stating that the project was officially gone and that there were no ill feelings between PlatinumGames and Microsoft.
Scalebound was originally planned to be an Xbox One exclusive when it was launched in 2013. Drew was a character in the game, and he was joined by a dragon named Thudan, whom players could command in battle.
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