• POLITICS
  • SCIENCE
    • Astronomy
    • Physics
    • Biology
    • Geology
    • Environment
    • Medicine and Health
    • Sociology
    • Psychology
  • MOVIES & TV SHOWS
  • TECHNOLOGY
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • Virtual Reality
    • Bionics
    • Nanotechnology
    • Engineering
    • Robotics
    • Space Exploration
    • Transport
    • Industry and Service
  • GADGETS
    • Mobile Devices
    • Wearables
    • Consoles
    • Hi-Tech
  • GEEK CULTURE
    • Gaming
    • Comics
    • Thingamajigs
  • MUSIC
  • SOFTWARE
    • APPS
      • Android
      • iOS
      • Windows
  • HARDWARE
  • CARS
  • Advertise
  • Geek Reply Jobs
  • Contact Us
Geek Reply
  • HOME
  • Editorials
  • Geek Squad
  • GeekReply Jobs
  • Contact Us
  • Facebook

  • Twitter

  • Google+

  • LinkedIn

  • RSS

Editorials

It’s Been One Year Since Scalebound Was Cancelled, and We’re Still Sad

It’s Been One Year Since Scalebound Was Cancelled, and We’re Still Sad
Aaron Greenbaum
Aaron Greenbaum
January 9, 2018

January 9th means different things to different people. Many remember it as the day Steve Jobs unveiled the iPhone back in 2007, while others recognize it as the day George Polley tried to climb the Woolworth Building in 1920. To gamers, however, January 9th will always live on in infamy as the day Microsoft cancelled Scalebound mid-production.

For those of you who don’t remember Scalebound, it was a highly anticipated open world action RPG developed by PlatinumGames for the Xbox One and Windows PC. The game would have put players in the role of Drew, a young man with a draconic arm and a symbiotic relationship with a dragon; think How to Train Your Dragon mixed with the ground combat of Dragon’s Dogma and the aerial fighting of Divinity: Dragon Commander. On steroids. As an action RPG, character customization would have been a key feature in Scalebound; players would have been able to equip different weapons and customize the look of the dragon. The game would also have featured optional cooperative multiplayer, so players could team up against some of Scalebound‘s larger monsters.

Scalebound

Going in blind, you would think Scalebound would have been a surefire success. It was directed by Hideki Kamiya, who directed classics such as Okami, Viewtiful Joe, Bayonetta, and Devil May Cry (which might explain why Drew reminds me of Devil May Cry protagonist Dante). Moreover, Scalebound, as a joint venture between Microsoft Studios and PlatinumGames, was produced by two men, Atsushi Inaba (MadWorld, Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance) and Jean Pierre Kellams (Vanquish, Bionic Commando). And, of course, the game looked amazing and retained PlatinumGames’ signature flair for the pure awesome. So, what went wrong?

Even though a year has passed since Scalebound’s cancellation, information is still rather scarce regarding Microsoft’s reasons, although according to investigative games journalist Liam Robertson, the game had a troubled development. Apparently Microsoft Studios and PlatinumGames butted heads over creative decisions and design philosophies. The inter-company fighting took its tole on the development team to the point where Kamiya and Kellams purportedly took a month-long vacation. However, the biggest problem with Scalebound‘s development was it was plagued with technical issues, as the development team couldn’t manage to achieve a smooth frame rate of 30 FPS. While I cannot determine the accuracy of the following claim, the cause might have been that Microsoft was unwilling to compromise and scale back (pardon the pun) certain features that were likely the cause of frame rate issues.

The Internet’s reaction to the cancellation of Scalebound was almost universally negative, and Microsoft’s attempts at damage control made the situation even worse. The company tried to apologize with a statement that mentioned other games in development, such as Halo Wars 2, Crackdown 3, and State of Decay 2, but many gamers viewed it as an insult since those games weren’t as anticipated/hyped as Scalebound. More insulting, though, was Microsoft’s scorched earth policy; after it announced the cancellation, Microsoft removed tweets and videos related to the game. While many other YouTube channels were able to save the videos for posterity, Microsoft still essentially tried to make gamers forget the game ever existed, which does not reflect well on the company. If anything, Microsoft’s attempts to make us forget about the game have only solidified it in our memories, as many are hopeful the game will be resurrected eventually.

History has demonstrated that gamers, once they get a taste of a game that shows promise, never react well to cancellation. Just look at what happened to Konami after it cancelled Silent Hills. Thanks to Microsoft, gamers will forever associate January 9th with the cancellation of one of the most highly anticipated Xbox One/PC exclusive games ever produced.

W3Schools
Related ItemsfeaturedMicrosoftPlatinumGamesScalebound
Editorials
January 9, 2018
Aaron Greenbaum
Aaron Greenbaum

All you have to do to get my attention is talk about video games, technology, anime, and/or Dungeons & Dragons - also people in spandex fighting rubber suited monsters.

Related ItemsfeaturedMicrosoftPlatinumGamesScalebound

More in Editorials

20 Most Anticipated Games We’re Expecting To Play In 2019

Christopher WheatleyDecember 28, 2018
Read More
Stranger Things tabletop RPG DnD

Tabletop RPGs: A Fun Way to Play

Andrew DoughtyDecember 12, 2018
Read More
Killjoys VRV

Killjoys: The Interesting Tale of Bounty Hunters…in Space?

Andrew DoughtyDecember 12, 2018
Read More

The Growing Complexity of Lore within Games

Andrew DoughtyDecember 11, 2018
Read More
Marvel Heroes Omega

Geek is Chic

Andrew DoughtyDecember 5, 2018
Read More
Demon's Souls PS4 remaster

Demon’s Souls PS4 Remaster – Will It Happen?

Mike GuarinoJune 25, 2018
Read More
SE

Could the iPhone SE 2 Come Very Soon?

Ule LopezApril 26, 2018
Read More

Five Monster Hunter: World Collaborations That Need To Exist

Aaron GreenbaumJanuary 30, 2018
Read More

Monster Hunter: World Isn’t like Dark Souls, but Dark Souls Might Be Why It’s Popular

Aaron GreenbaumJanuary 29, 2018
Read More
Scroll for more
Tap

Game Deals

  • Popular

  • Latest

  • Comments

  • Resident Evil 2 Remake CHEATS
    Resident Evil 2 Remake Cheats Add Invincibility, Unlimited Ammo, More
    GamingJanuary 25, 2019
  • Resident Evil 2 Remake Claire
    Resident Evil 2 Remake PS4, Xbox One, PC Download File Size
    GamingJanuary 23, 2019
  • Rumor: Fallout 76 Potentially Gearing Up To Go Free-To-Play
    GamingJanuary 21, 2019
  • Jump Force PC cheats
    Jump Force Cheats Add Unlimited Health, Gold, More
    GamingFebruary 13, 2019
  • Troy Baker To Star In The Upcoming Batman/Ninja Turtles Crossover Animated Movie
    Movies & TV ShowsFebruary 17, 2019
  • Metro Exodus PC cheats
    Metro Exodus Cheats Add Unlimited Health, Super Speed, More
    GamingFebruary 15, 2019
  • Check Out The New E-Bikes From General Motors
    Hi-TechFebruary 15, 2019
  • Netflix Will Debut Breaking Bad Movie
    Movies & TV ShowsFebruary 15, 2019
  • Just 10% Of iPhone X Users Want Apple To Remove The Notch, Survey Says – My WordPress Website says:

    […] There are lots of requests that Apple users are…

  • The 9 most plausible rumors in regards to the new iPhones – Mark Swarrts says:

    […] Just 10% Of iPhone X Users Want Apple To…

  • Onimusha: Warlords HD PS4/Xbox One Box Art Revealed - GameSinners says:

    […] mean for the series, as its success could result…

  • 5 Essential Tips to Setup a Web Hosting Business | Your Own Website says:

    […] Source link […]

Geek Reply

Greetings techies! We are Geek Reply, a website whose main goal is to bring you all the latest news and updates from within the industry and beyond. What can you expect to find here?

Professional journalism coupled with expository writing for the most part, but we also give our honest opinion or throw in a pinch of humor for good measure when we deem it necessary. Our team is comprised of enthusiasts from across a wide variety of fields ranging from smartphone junkies to camera nerds, and everything in between. But perhaps you were looking for your daily dose of science news or hoping to read about the latest apps. If that’s the case, don’t worry, you came to the right place.

GeekReply Secured with GeekReply Scured
Nintendo Switch GeekReply

Copyright © 2017 GeekReply

The Metal Gear Survive Trailer Surprisingly Shows Some Promise
Pokemon GO Will Soon Be Unplayable on Older iPhones and iPads