[GameSpot] - Platinum Games Wants To Revive Scalebound, But It's Microsoft's Call

[343iBot]

Platinum Games' action-RPG Scalebound was canceled several years ago after running into development troubles, but the studio is interested in reviving the project. Could we see the sword-wielding, headphones-wearing warrior team up with a giant dragon again? Well, it's all up to Microsoft, which had been funding the project prior to its canning.

Speaking to IGN Japan (via VGC), former Scalebound director Hideki Kamiya and Platinum Games president Atsushi Inaba both said they wanted to continue working on the game, with Kamiya joking that "it's no use [to] Microsoft keeping it in its current form," before making a plea to Xbox boss Phil Spencer.

Scalebound would have had heavy online implementation, and one of the last videos shown on the game prior to its cancellation was a cooperative gameplay reveal. Players would have been able to fly on the backs of their dragons, firing arrows and taking on powerful enemies together. For much of the gameplay in Scalebound, however, it looks like it would have been a unique mix of flashy combat and indirectly attacking enemies via the dragon. The frame rate in early demonstrations lacked the smoothness we associate with Platinum Games, and it seemed remarkably passive.

Is it likely to revive a canceled project five years later? Probably not, but Platinum Games definitely has more experience with online play than it did during Scalebound's development. The studio is currently developing Babylon's Fall, an online-focused action game for PS4, PS5, and PC.

View the full article