In 2017, Microsoft announced that it had cancelled the upcoming Xbox exclusive Scalebound. While PlatinumGames head Atsushi Inaba stressed that “both sides failed”, Okami and Bayonetta creator Hideki Kamiya believes that things might have gone differently under a Japanese publisher.
“I do think it would’ve been different,” Kamiya said in an interview with VGC. “I don’t mean that if it had been a Japanese publisher, the game would necessarily have been completed and released, but I imagine the process itself would have played out differently.”
“I Think Conversations Would Have Been More Positive”
Kamiya explained that there’s more pressure trying something new under a Western publisher, whereas Japanese companies “watch over the process with patience”. He attributes the trend-chasing we see in Western development to this mindset, using the first-person shooter boom in the ’90s and ’00s as an example. “I get the impression that they feel a sense of safety following an established format,” he said.
That’s why Kamiya believes a Japanese publisher might’ve given the team more leeway as they experimented with new concepts, like Scalebound’s unique mix of allowing the player to control both a human and dragon.
“Japanese companies tend to be more open to new challenges,” Kamiya explained. “I think conversations would have been more positive, like, ‘Okay, so how should we approach this together?’ For me personally, overseas publishers seem to have a much stronger desire to see a finished product as quickly as possible.”
Kamiya Doesn’t Blame Xbox For Scalebound Being Cancelled
However, Kamiya stressed that he doesn’t blame Microsoft for Scalebound being cancelled, and that the failure of the project “was ultimately the responsibility of PlatinumGames,” himself included. But with newfound experience working alongside Western publishers, Kamiya believes that “if the opportunity ever comes again, we’ll find a way to take advantage of both sides’ strengths.”
Kamiya left PlatinumGames in 2023 because it was “gradually shifting towards a modern model of game development that doesn’t place importance on the creators’ individuality.”
Just earlier this year, Kamiya posted on X that he wants to resume development on Scalebound, addressing Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer directly: “Let’s do it, Phil!” But when Spencer was asked about reviving the project last year, he said that there’s “currently nothing to say about Scalebound,” dashing any hopes.
For now, Kamiya is returning to another beloved series with Okami 2, finally bringing back this PS2 classic after two decades.
- Released
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January 1, 2017
- ESRB
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t
- Publisher(s)
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Microsoft Studios
- Engine
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Unreal Engine 4
- Multiplayer
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Online Multiplayer
