Platinum Games Head States Microsoft Aren’t Solely To Blame For Scalebound

Microsoft has had a rough time this console generation compared to Sony’s success with the PlayStation 4. From the controversies around the Xbox One originally being online only, to a lack of quality exclusives compared to their competitor, it’s been an uphill struggle for the company over the past six years.

One of the most damaging moments was the cancellation of the Xbox One exclusive Scalebound, being headed by legendary developer Hideki Kamiya (Resident Evil 2, Devil May Cry, Bayonetta). The general consensus was that Microsoft was to blame for the troubled development and eventual cancellation, however studio head Atsushi Inaba has told a different story in a recent interview with website VGC.

Inaba revealed that “Watching fans getting angry at Microsoft over the cancellation wasn’t easy for us to watch. Because the reality is, when any game in development can’t get released it’s because both sides failed”. He continued to clarify “nobody wants a game to be cancelled”. While it was a difficult time for Platinum, he felt that it helped the studio grow overall.

Inaba also went on to speculate that maybe Scalebound had been revealed too early. This doesn’t sound too unlikely, with a lot of the gameplay footage seeming relatively unpolished, especially when compared to the smooth performance and tight gameplay the studio is known for. Regardless of Scalebound’s troubled development, we can hope that Microsoft also learned a few things from the cancellation.