Scalebound, developed by Platinum Games and published by Microsoft, was announced at E3
2014 exclusively for the Xbox One.
Two and a half years later, Microsoft pulled the plug and outright cancelled the game in
January 2017.
And that should've been the end of it.
But if recent rumors are true then it might not be and Scalebound could return.
According to rumors that have been flying around, Nintendo saved the project and Platinum
Games is currently working to put the game on the Switch.
Now there's no concrete evidence that this is happening, but if it does, Scalebound is
a game you might want to pay attention to.
So join us as we look at the history of Scalebound's development and why it might be worth picking
up if it does indeed come to the Switch.
While Scalebound wasn't officially revealed until 2014, the idea of the game has been
around as long as Platinum Games itself.
In a 2015 interview, Gamespot spoke with the director, Hideki Kamiya, about its origins
where he revealed that the idea of Scalebound was one of first ideas that Platinum Games
put forward.
The team was brainstorming ideas on what to work on and though the concept of Scalebound
was suggested, the company ultimately decided to develop Bayonetta first.
However Scalebound wasn't completely shelved.
Some work was done during Bayonetta's development in order to create a pitch of what the game
could be, potentially making it their next release.
Players would take the role of a young girl who had the ability to control dinosaurs,
not dragons.
And this would all be done with motion controls on the Nintendo Wii--yep, this project was
originally envisioned for Nintendo Hardware, so the Switch is almost too fitting.
But even Kamiya admitted that this version needed work and was ultimately shelved while
they finished Bayonetta.
Once Bayonetta was completed, Platinum returned to the idea and created a prototype with one
major change.
Dragons!
Which was something of a dream come true for Kamiya as he always wanted to create a fantasy
game featuring the mystical creatures.
But as the concept was being refined, he also realized that he didn't want to just be
watching the action, he wanted to have an active role.
Something that wasn't entirely possible with a little girl as the protagonist.
So the decision was made to change the girl into a swordsman or someone a bit older.
Unfortunately this prototype was never able to find a publisher causing the game to be
shelved yet again while they worked on The Wonderful 101 for the Wii U.
Once The Wonderful 101 shipped, Platinum put together a refined pitch of Scalebound for
Microsoft who ended up being interested in the project.
So in 2013 development of the game began in earnest.
However because of the new idea of having the human play a more active role in combat
this meant that they would essentially have two lead characters, one human and one dragon.
Ultimately, the problem was tackled by having the story focus on Drew while the gameplay
centered around his dragon partner, Thuban.
So Thuban would be able to be customized extensively while Drew could not, something better seen
in the E3 2016 gameplay trailer with the other dragons having drastically different designs
while the Drews only had different weapons.
Scalebound was officially revealed to the public at Microsoft's E3 2014 conference
with a cinematic trailer that showed off Drew and Thuban teaming up to take down a giant
creature.
It was only a taste of the ideas that Platinum had, but it did introduce Drew as a contrast
with the rest of the fantasy setting as he came from the modern world.
This is probably best signified by his headphones, which he puts on during the more intense fights
with monsters.
He also has access to a dragon hybrid transformation that temporarily increases his power.
Comparisons to Dante from Devil May Cry were also rampant and never really went away whenever
it was previewed, but Platinum never changed Drew's design.
While Scalebound didn't make an appearance at E3 2015, it did have a playable demo at
that year's Gamescom.
Here a pre-Alpha build was available to try which introduced what the gameplay would really
be like.
Drew and Thuban are always together as their lives are bound.
If one dies, so does the other.
Fortunately, Drew has the ability to heal his buddy thanks to his dragon arm, which
also had a few other gameplay uses like scanning enemies or unleashing energy.
However, Thuban couldn't be directly controlled by players at all times.
Instead, its AI would assist during combat until specific commands were given like targeting
certain enemies.
It was possible though for Drew to form a temporary mental link with Thuban.
This would switch gameplay to a first person perspective and allow the player to control
him directly.
But this would also leave Drew completely motionless and open to enemy attacks.
Unlike many other Platinum games, the world was very much non-linear although Thuban couldn't
actually be ridden until later in the game.
Drew could equip several different weapons which broke over time though there was no
crafting system.
In many ways it was similar to what Breath of the Wild would do in that they had to constantly
scavenge for new equipment.
The game showed promise, but the action never seemed as refined as their previous titles
though this is gameplay from a pre-Alpha build.
That said, combat wasn't Platinum's primary focus with Scalebound.
While they promised it would be up to the standards fans had come to expect, the more
realistic graphics and world-building were how they were making it stand out from their
previous games.
And there was also the multiplayer element.
This was shown as early as the reveal trailer, teasing that four players could work together.
But it wasn't fully shown off until Scalebound's E3 2016 presentation which featured an updated
take on the gameplay, specifically four players teaming with their dragons and each other
in order to take down a massive boss.
It was a promising showcase though not without its concerns as many worried that it lacked
the usual Platinum polish.
So the fact that it was delayed from its 2016 release date was no surprise.
What was a surprise was its outright cancellation on January 9th 2017.
Before this was officially announced, reports had started to circulate that Scalebound was
in trouble and Platinum had even stopped actively working on the game before the end of 2016.
Eurogamer even reported a rumor that Microsoft made the decision due to issues surrounding
the game's engine and overdue deadlines.
But later in 2017, Xbox Division Head Phil Spencer had an interview with the Japanese
site, Gamewatch, where he stated that the real reason the game was ultimately cancelled
had stemmed from announcing Scalebound too early.
This created pressure on the team, influenced development, and raised other hurdles.
As a result, both Microsoft and Platinum doubted that the game could offer what fans wanted
and ultimately it was decided to end development.
Whether or not this was the real reason, we can't say.
What we do know is that the cancellation of Scalebound along with the twin duds of Star
Fox Zero and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutants in Manhattan nearly spelled the end
for Platinum.
It's only thanks to the breakout hit, Nier: Automata, launching a few weeks later that
the company ultimately survived.
And that's why the possibility of Scalebound finding its way to the Nintendo Switch is
so fascinating.
This is a game that's tied to the history of Platinum, a dream for Hideki Kamiya, and
an odd connection to Nintendo's past.
Even if this rumor is true, it's unlikely that Scalebound will play exactly as it did
before--after all, it was cancelled for a reason.
Aspects might be scaled back and the multiplayer may even be dropped.
Or it could even be doubled down upon in order to create a defining game for Nintendo Switch
Online, at least for those who haven't caught Tetris fever anyway.
It must also be said that Platinum Games already has quite the line-up for the Switch thanks
to both Bayonetta 3 and Astral Chain.
So whether this Scalebound rumor is true or not, Platinum is definitely supporting the
system in a big way.
Now, we just have to wait and see what happens next.
Thanks for watching and be sure to subscribe to GameXplain for more on Platinum and other
things gaming as well.
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