PlatinumGames’ Scalebound was one of the most promising games in development for Xbox One, with players controlling a sword-wielding protagonist alongside an enormous dragon, but Microsoft opted to kill the project in early 2017. However, it appears that Scalebound could soon find life on a completely different console.
According to Nintendo Insider, Scalebound is now planned to be revived as an exclusive for Nintendo Switch, presumably with any rights to the project being sold by Microsoft. The report points to Game Informer editor Imran Khan’s claim that Nintendo would be reviving a canceled game. Most players’ first thoughts were likely that this project was a game Nintendo itself had canceled, but perhaps this is not the case.
Nintendo Insider added that it’s not clear whether the game has been completed rebooted or whether it will use development material already completed from its time as an Xbox game.
PlatinumGames’ relationship with Nintendo has grown strong in recent years. Most recently, the company announced the action game Astral Chain for the Switch, which is directed by Nier: Automata designer Takahisa Taura and supervised by Hideki Kamiya. Kamiya had been directing Scalebound prior to its cancellation and was also the creator of the Bayonetta series. Bayonetta 3 is also coming to the Switch as an exclusive.
With the Xbox One light on exclusive games, Scalebound could have been the envy of other systems’ fans. It blended the stylish action of the Devil May Cry series with role-playing elements PlatinumGames hadn’t used before, and four-player online cooperative play was later announced.
The game’s revival would come just as Capcom’s Devil May Cry 5 releases on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC. The influence of the Devil May Cry series is clear in Scalebound‘s character designs, and the updated version of Nero in the game bears a striking resemblance to Scalebound hero Drew. Kamiya was the director of the original Devil May Cry back in 2001.
PlatinumGames is also currently working on Babylon’s Fall, announced by Square Enix during its E3 2018 presentation. Due to the success of Nier: Automata and its significance to PlatinumGames’ survival as a studio, it seems likely that the company is working on the follow-up as well.
