PlatinumGames' Hideki Kamiya on Scalebound: "Phil, let's do it!"

By Tom West,

PlatinumGames has expressed an interest in talking with Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer about reviving the scrapped Scalebound project, saying "Phil, let's do it!"

Scalebound was originally planned to be an Xbox exclusive back in 2017, but after various obstacles slowed the development of the game, Microsoft eventually cancelled the project. Recently, PlatinumGames VP Hideki Kamiya has apologised to both the players and Microsoft for what transpired, saying “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 apologise both as a creator and as a member of PlatinumGames.”

Now Kamiya would like to speak to Microsoft about the failed project. During an interview with IGN Japan (translated via VGC), both Kamiya and PlatinumGames' president, Atsushi Inaba have expressed an interest in reigniting talks. “We did a lot of work on it, and it’s no use Microsoft keeping the game in its current form," said Kamiya, who was Scalebound's director at the time. "So, we’d like to do something about it (laughs). Phil! Let’s do it together!” On the same topic, Inaba also says that “Kamiya has always wanted to do Scalebound. So, we’d like to have a proper discussion with Microsoft.”

scalebound platinumgames microsoft talks

Whether talks will be a possibility is anybody's guess, but this isn't the first time Scalebound has hit the headlines in recent years, after Kamiya told GameXplain on YouTube back in 2020: "We do get a lot of fans still that do show interest in the title, and we're always happy to see if there are still people that are really interested in it coming out one day," said Kamiya. "The fans are thinking, there was a lot of possibilities, or a lot of cool things that looked like Kamiya might have been able to accomplish with that title. And we also think it would have been really nice to have that kind of opportunity, but it's not for us to say." Kamiya then added: "If you want to see it again, then please, send a letter to Phil Spencer."

Scalebound popped back to the forefront of headlines again a little later in 2020, after speculation about the game potentially being in development began to make the rounds. Spencer was quick to shoot down the rumours, though, and nothing more was said about it.

We're sure that this isn't going to be the last time we cover Scalebound in some capacity, but we'd love to know your thoughts. Would you like to see Scalebound revived by PlatinumGames? Or maybe brought back by an internal Xbox Game Studios team? Let us know down below!

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Written by Tom West

Tom has been playing video games since he was old enough to hold a controller, experimenting with a number of systems until he eventually fell in love with Xbox. With a passion for the platform, he decided to make a career out of it, and now happily spends his days writing about that which he loves. If he’s not hunting for Xbox achievements, you’ll likely find him somewhere in The Elder Scrolls Online or fighting for survival in Battlefield.