PlatinumGames' Xbox exclusive Scalebound might have got axed in the end, but doesn't appear to have done any damage to the Japanese studio's relationship with Microsoft.
Platinum director Hideki Kamiya (Bayonetta 3, Devil May Cry) recently shared a photo of a gift from Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer on behalf of team Xbox (it's all to celebrate Platinum's opening of a new headquarters). And attached to the tweet was the following message from Hideki - "Thanx, Phil! Let's work together again".
This isn't the first time Platinum has voiced his interest in teaming up with Phil (again). Back in 2020, Kamiya and the Platinum head Atsushi Inaba said they were still open to a revival of the ambitious action role-playing IP - and even suggested fans send a letter to Phil about it.
Would you like to see Microsoft team up with Platinum? Leave a comment down below.
Comments 31
Long shot finish Scalebound and release on game pass
Considering they're releasing Babylon's Fall and Bayonetta 3 this year, that would free up resources to restart/resume the work on Scalebound. It definitely makes more sense for the project to be revived with the Microsoft we have today compared to if we still had the same Microsoft from five years ago, i.e. a company that focuses on the sales model rather than the subscription model. With Game Pass, Microsoft wants to get as many exclusives as they can on the service.
I'd love to see Scalebound revisited with 'next-gen' hardware available to Platinum to help realise their ambition - which seemed to big for XB1 hardware.
Game Pass alone should help get that project back up and finished as well as a large audience waiting to at least 'try' the game. I don't think it would of been cancelled if Game Pass existed as it does today...
Scalebound looked and sounded like an average game at best. And now it has some sort of mystique about it where if they ever did bring it back those that think they want it will probably be left disappointed as it won’t live up to the game they’ve had in their head for years. No, move on from Scalebound now.
Personally I don’t think MS should give these another chance after all the money they wasted last time. But if they do it should be for something completely new.
@Bleachedsmiles I can't help but feel some of the fault lies with Microsoft. Can't even release a Halo game in a good state. Been in development for 5 years, delayed another year, and still ain't finished. Instead they released a buggy mess that hasn't done the Halo franchise any favors.
@InterceptorAlpha Erm pretty sure this Halo has been widely regarded as a return to form.
I love Platinum Games. Jealous of the Bayonetta sequels over on Nintendo. Would love Xbox to get something from them!
I wouldn't be surprised if there was a Platinum Games Xbox exclusive.
@StylesT im with interceptor, it was their best attempt and i think they got the gunplay down but still hasnt reached close to the bungie days as must plays
So much has changed since Scalebound got cancelled. Back then Platinum and Xbox as a whole were a mess. Platinum was teetering on collapse and Phill Spencer was trying to clean up the entire company.
Both parties are in good places now and have grown a lot, that plus with new hardware i think Scalebound could work now. But I'm also desperate to play it so I'm slightly biased 😂
If PG wants to work with MS again, they have to put a leash on Kamiya... or let them be bought by Phil 😂
@StylesT Only by the press. Because hey only take a glancing look at a game and don't run t through the paces. Same as a car. One may be good on paper, but as soon as it is to the masses, other issues almost immediately come to light.
The game suffered from horribly desync that 343 has actually made worse every patch.
BTB, while it worked okay at launch, as now been patched 3 times, each time making it run worse to the point it just isn't playable and you almost have to restart your Xbox every other match. You can shoot someone square in the chest with a rocket and they can survive because of this. This has been going on since December. Still no fix in sight.
Ignoring that, the game launched with half the features missing. Coop, Forge, game modes, etc. This aren't even expected to be released until the next season. Which has already been delayed once.
Matchmaking system constantly put you in games with people in different zones resulting in ping in the multiple hundreds of milliseconds.
Free for all doesn't even track your progress most of the time so anytime you get a FFA challenge you have to complete it multiple times before it ever unlocks.
The game doesn't keep your party together when out into a game with people either being out in different squads and to a rarer degree, other teams.
Vehicles have kept 343 signature paper mache health even though they have more counter than ever now.
Games hat by default is off, and changing settings do not guarantee it will be enabled. This is further compounded by the game's penchant to reset or just ignore settings all together.
On the PC side it is full of memory leaks resulting in things from texture issues to just straight up crashes.
Map design philosophy has completely changed, particularly BTB, to a tripe 3 lane setup to mimic modern games. Throw in some bots and you could legit use them as MOBA maps. Gone are ones with sweeping sightlines like Blood Gulch and Sidewinder.
Can't even buy the whole game on disc. Another nail in the coffin for classic Halo.
Infinite is probably the most inconsistent game I've played. Or most consistent and being inconsistent. And I'm pretty sure the only reason that is, is because I skipped Cyberpunk.
Pray tell, about about any of this is a return to form? Resulted in my canceling my $70 pre-order for the game. And honestly about ready to just uninstall it. Only reason I haven't is because the girlfriend is wanting to coop with me and that isn't out yet.
@Royalblues Most of what I stated was literal issues with the basegame itself. The missing components are the minority of Infinite's issues.
The most fun shooter released in a while is a pretty low bar and shouldn't even be something brought up. I don't even remember the last shooter I bought before Halo Infinite. Let alone one I was interested in. Then again, I also didn't buy I finite because they didn't put the game on disc.
The player decline that were dealing with also further exasperates the issues with lag and desync due to being matched with people from other regions.
Finally, despite Microsoft removing them from the web portal, you can still see score on the Xbox itself which is a solid 3 out of 5 stars. Hardly what I'd call people agreeing it is good. Never mind the official forums on Waypoint. Paying attention to anything official is pretty telling.
The only thing Infinite has done is reminded me of how good Pre 343 Halo games were and has me putting more time in MCC.
@InterceptorAlpha Only be the press who only take a quick look?...So what about the majority of reviewers who play through the whole game? And average players in comment sections are more positive than negative ...if anything you are trying to pass off your minority opinion as a fact
I'm not even a big Halo fan...but the campaign was solid with brilliant gameplay and even though I'm not big into halo multiplayer I can tell it's great ..which like I said has been the same majority opinion of others
@StylesT I'm not sure if you're confused. Or obtuse. We're not talking about campaign. That is a separate release with its own issues. We're talking about multiplayer.
If you ever decide to get out from under your wrong, how about actually doing some research instead of ignoring presented facts?
Every issue I have provided is verifiable in multiple places.
Even this site has covered it albeit failed to follow up.
https://www.purexbox.com/news/2021/12/halo-infinites-big-team-battle-matchmaking-errors-should-be-patched-by-january
https://www.purexbox.com/news/2022/01/343-industries-cant-replace-halo-infinite-xp-boosts-lost-during-server-outages
https://www.purexbox.com/news/2022/01/halo-infinites-latest-hotfix-unable-to-resolve-btb-matchmaking-issues
Spoilers: Still not been fixed along with the aforementioned issues.
@InterceptorAlpha We are not talking about campaign? Well seen as you never mentioned multiplayer ever in your original comment in this thread.....bit rich you saying I'm confused lmao
Enjoy trying to pass off your minority opinion as fact...oh and suddenly deciding for yourself that we are talking about multiplayer only out the blue.... yet never actually stating that before
And even if you did i still don't see how that's is relevant as I pointed out both campaign and multiplayer and considered good...and actually the general consensus is that it's the best multiplayer in a long time....
But thanks for linking me to some end of the world matchmaking issues....first game ever to have them....can't say I ever did with my time with the game
@InterceptorAlpha
To quote Hideki Kamiya from an interview about Scalebound;
"We weren't experienced enough.
We were developing on the Unreal engine. We also lacked the necessary know-how to build a game based on online features. The hurdles we had to overcome were very big.
We weren't experienced enough and couldn't get over that wall, leading to what happened in the end."
@InterceptorAlpha splitgates much better than halo infinite
Kamiya is famous for blocking people on twitter than he is game development. Phil would be an idiot to lend this waste of space money for a project. How many Platinum projects came out during development for Scalebound? If you ask me, they were siphoning off Microsoft money and diverting it to other projects.
@Royalblues Yep caught me. Just hatin'. Has nothing to do with the fact that I can't play it with friends because of the net code a 12 year old could write. Or the fact that tested on both of my Series X the results are the same.
If ya work for 343 that's all ya gotta say lol.
@Would_you_kindly I'll give it a shot. Thanks.
@blinx01 Sounds like you could almost replace that with 343 and we'd have a solid explanation for 4, 5, and Infinite.
@StylesT Every complaint I've provided you has been multiplayer only. How exactly could you think campaign was even part of the topic? Again, if you feel like opening your eyes on the subject matter, please feel free to check out Halo's forums. Not sure why you're on the defensive for Halo like it is your relative.
If ya wanna play the echo chamber of "Halo is good" on this site, you can all you want. Until this embarrassing release of a Halo is fixed I'll happily continue calling them out.
Good to see them still be on good terms. Would be awesome to see them finally work on scalebound.
@StylesT @StylesT Erm pretty sure this Halo has been widely regarded as a buggy disaster missing even the basic components/features of what is known to a halo game. Not to mention riddle with excessively priced microtransactions that in reality should be known as macrotransactions.
Hidden in those flowers was a formal acquisition offer letter.
NOTE: Joke
@InterceptorAlpha while it definitely hasn't released in a good state, considering all that was missing and some bugs. Saying it hasn't done Halo any favors is going a bit far. You canceled your Pre-order and thats good, as you shouldn't pay for something you have a ton of issues with. However the fact of the matter is, its holding an 87 on metacritic and has a user score of 8.4/10. Considering Halo 5 had an 84 with a user score of 6, its a pretty good Halo game according to the majority of the masses. And all that is before coop has been released.
Being covered by media outlets and youtubers alike for how much fun they are having with MP and Gameplay doesn't align with the concept of it not doing Halo any favors. You may not like it, but its clear the vast majority of gamers who play it do. Or at least those who have taken the time to review it.
Let me be clear, I'm not saying the game isn't without its issues, or that it released in a perfect state. I'm only saying it has reawakened the popularity of Halo within the masses and I can't see how that isn't doing the franchise any favors.
@Aizen82 While I give you that initial response, before everything went to hell, was positive, that does not hold true. Response over time has soured and the player count is reflecting that as well. To the the point that it looks like it is gaining traction. Windows Central published an article that I can't link here for some reason. Maybe because instead of having like an article ID then words, it is just an entire freaking sentence l.
"Let’s work together again " he says, then goes on to release his latest game, Sol Cresta, on everything BUT the Xbox...
@InterceptorAlpha Go look at your original comment I replied too ..and you might figure out why nobody would know why you was talking about multiplayer specific ....and like I've already said I mentioned both campaign and multiplayer in my comment...so it was irrelevant and bizarre
you randomly deciding to make a point of saying 'we' are only talking about multiplayer only ...so I must be 'confused' or being 'obtuse'....
Anyway I think Aizen summed it my point anyway...like I said clearly the majority like the game..and there is the evidence to prove it...but I can see you are one of them people who thinks their opinion is gospel even when it aligns against the figures...so have fun
@InterceptorAlpha
What's any of this got to do with 343 or Halo?
@InterceptorAlpha Even if that holds true, the fact still remains that it isn't reflected in the metacritic score or user score. Reviews are allowed to be added post release. I can see the review score not changing because media outlets rarely change that. But user scores do change as those who play it can still add their review. The fact that its still holding an 8.4/10 user score despite the complaints still underscores a game that users are enjoying quite well, regardless of the issues. Perhaps that will change, but at this moment, its still a feather in the Halo franchises cap.
@InterceptorAlpha And for the record, I'll give you that it recently has fallen out of favor on steam. No longer top 100. Despite the issues, it still remains top 10 on Xbox, coming in at number 6. So even with some 3 star ratings on Xbox, its doing enough there to remain very popular. Steam is another issue, which I'm honest, I'm not surprised about. Xbox titles traditionally struggle on PC for some reason, thats not an excuse, they definitely need to improve there. However its something I continually would bet on. Either way its holding pretty strong on Xbox and metacritic user score. It could get worse, but it could also improve. Either way its doing the franchise plenty of favors.
As good as Platinum games are, I think they are not widely popular outside of hardcore gamers. Scalebound in Gamepass would be huge in terms of getting tons of new players into their old and new titles.
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