One of the biggest upsets for Xbox fans was discovering that the then-upcoming and highly-anticipated Scalebound from developer PlatinumGames has been cut short on active development for the title. At the time, the platform began to show some real battle scars from the rough lineup of first-party exclusive projects available on Xbox One, and now with Scalebound gone only added another marking to the list of lashings.
However, one who did not forget about the project aside from disappointed fans was PlatinumGames themselves. In an interview recently, PlatinumGames’ head Atsushi Inaba tells that the studio still would like to pursue finishing development on the 2014-announced title. He shares that the Japanese developer has even looked to outright acquiring the property from Microsoft.
Talking with Eurogamer Portugal, Inaba explains that despite the team’s interest to return to developing the game tells that Microsoft is the only obstacle in their way as the company has complete ownership of the IP.
This was an intellectual property that belongs 100% to Microsoft. Whatever happens to this project, we can’t do anything with it unless Microsoft leaves us. But it’s a game that falls in love and loved, if the opportunity arises, it’s something that we’d love to go back to.
The Japanese studio is more than capable to do so if given the window to pursue continuing development for Scalebound. Even more, the title would also be a self-published project as well if PlatinumGames does decide to follow the path of purchasing the property: Chinese firm Tencent Holdings previously announced a new partnership with the developer which would grant more financial freedom for the development team.
While the team shares their interests in returning to the unfinished project, PlatinumGames currently has a full plate to work over as The Wonderful 101 has been confirmed for Nintendo Switch, PC, and PlayStation 4 thanks to backers who supported the campaign on Kickstarter. For more detail on the remastered version of the 2013, head here to read the full report.
Were you excited for Scalebound when the title was initially announced?
Source: Eurogamer Portugal
