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Hideki Kamiya Remains Serious About a Scalebound Revival
Some cancelled games disappear quietly. Scalebound has stubbornly refused to become one of them. Nearly a decade after Microsoft cancelled PlatinumGames‘ ambitious action RPG, director Hideki Kamiya is still hoping he will eventually get the opportunity to finish what his former team started.
Speaking in a new VGC interview, Kamiya once again made his interest unmistakably clear. Asked whether he had approached new Xbox CEO Asha Sharma about potentially reviving the project, Kamiya said he had not, before using the interview to extend another invitation.
“If they want to do it, let’s make it happen,” he said, even asking VGC to include old Scalebound gameplay footage in the article in case Sharma happens to see it.
Former Scalebound Developers Still Remember the Project Fondly
Kamiya’s interest goes beyond the occasional public plea. Several developers who previously worked on Scalebound remain part of his professional circle, including two now working at Clovers, the studio Kamiya established after leaving PlatinumGames.
A recent dinner involving several former team members naturally brought the cancelled project back into conversation. Kamiya explained that while those developers also remember difficult periods during production, they still look back fondly on the experience of making the game.
For its former director, that unfinished work continues to sting. Kamiya told VGC that he still “very strongly” wants to see the project through if the opportunity presents itself, adding that he is “one hundred percent serious” about making it happen.
It continues a campaign that has been running for years. Kamiya previously publicly appealed to former Xbox boss Phil Spencer to revive Scalebound, while then PlatinumGames president Atsushi Inaba also expressed interest in reopening discussions with Microsoft.
Okami Gives Kamiya Reason to Keep Believing
A revival certainly does not appear imminent. Clovers has now grown beyond 70 staff and is already developing the long-awaited sequel to Okami with Capcom, meaning Kamiya acknowledges the studio is not necessarily in a position to tackle Scalebound immediately.
Still, Okami itself is precisely why he refuses to dismiss the idea. After spending years hoping for another opportunity to revisit that series, Kamiya is now directing its sequel. He believes Scalebound could eventually undergo an unlikely resurrection if enough interest remains on both sides.
Originally announced in 2014, Scalebound followed Drew and his dragon companion Thuban through a fantasy world combining large-scale monster battles with four-player online co-op. Microsoft cancelled the Xbox One and PC project in January 2017 after several years of development.
Neither company provided a detailed explanation at the time. Kamiya later acknowledged that PlatinumGames had struggled with the scale of the project, particularly its unfamiliarity with Unreal Engine and the expertise required to create its online systems. Almost 10 years later, there is still no indication Xbox intends to revive Scalebound.
Kamiya, at least, has made sure its new leadership knows the invitation remains open.
