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Scalebound cancelled [Platinum Games and Kamiya have commented]

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How are both of them to blame? Microsoft came to Platinum and asked them to develop a game with X budget within Y time frame, and Platinum agreed to those terms. For whatever reason, they could not deliver on the terms that Microsoft offered - even after being delayed. In what universe is Microsoft at fault? Why should they be obligated to pour more funds into a development situation that just isn't panning out. I like Platinum as much as the next guy, but Scalebound has looked rough since its inception - and the only reason people gave it a pass (myself included) - is due to Platinum's pedigree.

It happened with Phantom Dust, they gave a budget of $5 million dollars for a MP game, then they changed the terms: They now wanted a SP game, but they didn't wanted to give more funds to the team, that pleded for more since it was impossible to reach those new objectives with that budget. That studio went down after MS pulled back.

I'm not saying this was the case here, but we don't know the full story, for all we know, the 4 co-op element wasn't planned since the beginning. It may have been MS who asked for it.
 

J-Skee

Member
r_dsc_8650.jpg


SMH.
 

spekkeh

Banned
All these people saying fuck MS when it sounds like Platinum were the ones who couldn't deliver.
A more involved producer might try to take over control to get the game to market. Maybe they literally couldn't deliver on their promises, but PG is not a two time studio. It seems to me more likely MS decided they don't want loss leaders anymore, apparently they're happy with the way Xbox is selling.

Or, Scorpio is going to be a new console and they're starting to cut back efforts for the one.
 

Necro900

Member
Honestly the game didn't look too great to me the last time footage was shown, but it still was something XONE owners could look forward to, it's a real shame.

As a late Xbox One adopter I don't feel particularly burned (picked it up mainly for 4K bluray and a couple of exclusives while I'm at it), but Microsoft should definitely step up its exclusive game if their aim is to keep Xbox afloat this gen.
 

Randomizer

Member
Fuckkkkkkk!

Waiting 2-3 years for a new Kamiya game is already hard enough. Guess we will be playing the next Kamiya game in 2020 :(.
 
Kamiya has been complaining about Microsoft interference with the project for a few years now.

My guess is the money people clashed hard with him and Kamiya didn't get the game he wanted and Microsoft didn't get the game they wanted.

For a guy who has never made a multiplayer game, suddenly shoehorning multiple characters into a title that only ever had one seemed really suspicious. Guessing that was the final burden that caused the project to collapse.
 

SpartanN92

Banned
She's a NeoGAF member and not amused. Just sayin.

It was just a joke he obviously didn't mean it.

TBH it was stupid of the guy to basically say "Great this amazing expensive gift my fiancé got me is a big fat turd" in a place where she could read it.

I know if my fiancé put that kind of money into a gift even if it was something I didn't like for her sake I'd smile and pretend to love it.
 

Tankard

Member
What else would you expect in a PR statement? A huge press release about how poorly development went and all the things that went wrong, or a quick confirmation that tries to minimize the doom and gloom?

Just write about the cancellation, even if very briefly, to put a PR stunt on it is completely useless and disrespectful, i don't remember them trying to pug games after Fables cancellation.
 
This was probably due to a mix of development issues and the Xbox division having much more limited funds.

I fear for Platinum, NieR may be a god tier game but it's still niche (like most of their games) and I don't know how they'll be able to keep everyone working on Scalebound (probably not a small team).
 
Phil Spencer is really killing the system. There has been more cancellation and studio shutdown since he took over compared to when Mattrick was there. Maybe Mattrick wasn't the bad guy after all.


Maybe neither are bad guys and just public faces for a gaming division which is responsible for like 1% of the company's interests.

People give way too much blame/credit to individuals like Spencer and Mattrick when really they are largely just doing what they can to both placate the game audience while still following directives from higher up at Microsoft.
 

Boke1879

Member
So people don't have to agree with me but since there's so much discussion about it, I think it's plainly clear that Scorpio is an attempt to lock in people into the Live ecosystem that would otherwise float to PS4 or PC (where they wouldn't pay for Xbox live). I think it's about service fees and not first party games. I guess we will see but I don't think first party games are the point.

I think you're completely right. Look at their games. They are definitely going the way of the services model. That's what they want imo. Games that last a long time, keep players locked in and increase spend.

Issue is when those games fail you're pretty much left with nothing. I agree. Scorpio will be an attempt like we've all been saying to lock down people in that ecosystem.
 

jelly

Member
First off, I don't think its a very big blow. I don't remember seeing a lot of great response from fans when they showed off the gameplay way back when. This title had the markings of a game that didn't seem like it would be very successful in today's market. Granted, I'm just basing that opinion off of old gameplay footage but to be fair many people gauge purchases by that same measure.

I think Phil Spencer is doing a great job steering the ship. Fans WANTED Gears of War 4. I think the timing of the release worked against it as well as a hard push for esports which never fucking works when you try to force that stuff. Aside from that, I think Gears 4 is doing pretty well and the issues the game has had post-launch (microtransactions and RNG pissing off the fans) are things they can fix.

Fans will still want Halo 6 and Gears 5. I know I do. Granted they are in a very competitive genre and there are a lot of other games for fans to stray to, but there are people that want those games and it is on Microsoft to manage their expectations for success and adjust the development budget accordingly.

Having first party content is important, however the Xbox One is doing as well as it is in the US right now because it plays most of the games that the PS4 does and they priced it very aggressively this past season between all the bundles and deals they had going on. A good chunk of the consumer who buys videogames in this country will look at the price and say "Hey this one is $50 cheaper and it'll play Overwatch just like the PS4, plus it comes with these 2-5 games" and that will be all it takes to keep Xbox in the running. I'm with you in that I'd like to see them surprise us with some great 1st party titles this year, but I think maybe they are looking at their options at the moment and 2017 might be a slim year for exclusives, and that's okay as long as they get it sorted by 2018.

Was there a thirst for Gears 4?

Didn't think people were that enthusiastic about it. Seemed like Phil's favourite.
 
Kind of amazed at the number of posters in here who would have preferred Microsoft continue to fund what was looking like was turning out to be a bad game with development problems.

It's disappointing, sure, and I hope the devs manage to stay on their feet, but decisions like this aren't made flippantly. There was most likely a very good reason(s) they decided to pull the plug.
 

MCD

Junior Member
So people don't have to agree with me but since there's so much discussion about it, I think it's plainly clear that Scorpio is an attempt to lock in people into the Live ecosystem that would otherwise float to PS4 or PC (where they wouldn't pay for Xbox live). I think it's about service fees and not first party games. I guess we will see but I don't think first party games are the point.

Of course. Been saying this since this gen started: ecosystem.

Third party drives this industry. If Scorpio got the best versions and the best online infrastructure then people will buy into MS ecosystem.
 

Jeels

Member
Platinum is able to work just fine with companies like:
Square Enix
Nintendo
Konami
Activision
Sega

So I don't think the problem is Platinum at all. It is clearly Microsoft.
 

Rymuth

Member
Note that Mistwalker isn't actually a development team, it's just Sakaguchi and a few people in Hawaii. They need an external developer to make their games. Feelplus for Lost Odyssey, Artoon for Blue Dragon, Racjin for ASH, etc. So even if they "hired" Sakaguchi to make something, they'd still need to hire a development team.
Expected an appearance from you, Stump. Will you be doing another write-up like this one in the future?
 

JOEVIAL

Has a voluptuous plastic labia
Well... do we really know who to blame in this situation? Microsoft was funding the project... sure... but usually these problems boil down to internal development problems at the studio. And I'm sure Microsoft didn't want to can the project, I think Platinum is more at fault here.
 

Replicant

Member
I'm so much happier now that I'm dead. Technically missing. Soon to be presumed dead. Gone.

And this lazy oblivious and incompetent "Microsoft" company will go to prison for my murder. They took my pride and my dignity and my hope and my money. They took and took from me until I no longer existed. That's murder. Let the punishment fit the crime. To fake a convincing release date for Scale-fucking-bound you have to have discipline. You befriend a local foold, Platinum Games. Harvest the details of his hundrum life and cram him with stories about how development will be "doing fine", how the the game will soon be playable from start to finish. Secretly create some money troubles: forced online co-op, micotransactions, western bullshit. With the help of the unwitting, you bump up your life insurance. Purchase the Xbox One. With the Elite Controller. Generic. Overpriced. Pay cash. You need to package yourself so that people will truly mourn your loss. And I don't know how much you know about Japan, but they truly believe in honor, it's an important part of their culture... You know what's hard? Faking your excitement for this game. First, you pretend to follow all the dishearting news about this trainwerk of a game. Watch every damn E3 showing. From the first CGi vaporware trailer. Wake up at fucking 3.a.m, June 2016 just to see how this game has been resorted to a How To Train a Flying Potato simulator. Then you steal a Recore copy. And you pretend to like it. Voila! The game is nothing like you wanted. You wasted 60 dollars. Happy 3th Anniversary of this game's announcement. But then you go on NeoGAF, and post "wow I loved the E3 demo, MS is doing a great job :)" while you dry off the tears running down your face. Wait for the clueless director to announce the release date. Off he goes... and the clock is ticking. 20 weeks away from the release day and they haven't even shown final console footage yet. You feel fisically ill. A lot. A lot. A lot. You start to post about how the game is likely being saved for Scorpio How the game still retains that Hideki Kamiya-sama magic, even though you know deep in yourself that's one hell of a lie. June. E3 starts and they fucking bring a broken demo on stage. "Well, Platinum has never made a bad game, so there's no reason not to trust them". I repeat to myself. But everyone else playing the demo booths agrees that it is just bad. And because you're you, you don't stop there. You go back. To the day this fucking game was announced. Start with the fairy-tale days. The biggest Xbox One exclusive. A system seller title. From the creator of Resident Evil 2 and Bayonetta. Those are true. After that, you invent. "Scalebound was supposed to relive the Xbox brand" "X1 would likely outsell PS4 when this game gets released... at least in the US" The spending, the abuse, the fear, the threat of violence... burn it, just the right amount. Make sure the fans will find it. Finally, honor tradition with a very special treasure hunt. And if I get everything right, the world will hate Microsoft for killing his beautiful, legacy franchise. And after all the outrage, when I'm ready, I'll go out on to GameStop and buy a Playstation 4 + NieR: Automata bundle. And when my mother finds me investing my precious time trying to bond with this hot anime girl, I'll look straight into her eyes and say "but have you looked at her butt? Have your really looked at her butt?" In that very moment, she knows. She fucking knows. As she handles me the nugget pieces she previously cooked for me, she leaves my room with these words: "NierR is the true savior of Platinum Games". And that's when the people will know, Microsoft dumped Scalebound like garbage, and it floated past all the other abused, unwanted, inconvenient titles like Phantom Dust and Fable: Legends. The Scalebound fans will be gone, but then... we never really existed. We loved a game we pretended to like.

"An Xbox One exclusive".

Gamers always use that, don't they? As their defining compliment: "Quantum Break is a true Xbox exclusive". A true Xbox One exclusive is hot. A true Xbox One exclusive is game. A true Xbox One exclusive is fun. A true Xbox One exclusive never makes its fans angry. It only smiles in a chagrined, loving manner. The Platinum Game fans like what they like, so evidently they're vinyl hipsters who loves fetish Manga. If they like girls gone wild, Claire Redfield was a good example of empowering woman design. Bayonetta is sexist trash.. When I met Phil Spencer I knew he wanted "true Xbox Exclusive experience". And for him, I'll admit: Scalebound truly was it. He created an empty development funded by vapor and nothingness. Microsoft rewrote the concept to fit those Sony esclusive games everyone loves. They put headphones into the game because we all love headphones. They showed the game, semi-regularly. I lived in the moment. The same dragon portion for three years. I was fuckinging game. I can't say I didn't enjoy some of it. Microsoft teased out in me things I didn't know existed. A lightness, a humor, an ease. But I made them smarter. Sharper. I inspired them to rise to my level. I forged the company of my dreams. We were happy pretending to be other people. We were the happiest couple we knew. And what's the point of being together if you're not the happiest? But Platinum got lazy and Microsoft stubborn. They delayed the game. Microsoft actually expected me to love support their Xbox console unconditionally. And before finishing with Platinum, they delayed the game another time. From Holiday 2016, to simply "2017". We knew it was coming. We knew that what the press sneaks were telling us, was true.

You think I'd let Microsoft destroy me and end up happier than ever?

No fucking way.

They don't get to win. I don't know how much the rest of you know about social culture (I'm an expert), but grown-ups work for things. Grown-ups pay.

Grown-ups suffer consequences.

You're Amazing Amy from "Gone Girl", rite?
 

Euron

Member
The game looked rough and rather uninspired from what I have seen but I never thought an outright cancellation would occur. This is getting ridiculous with three big announcements from Microsoft's E3 2014 getting cancelled.

The days of people buying consoles for exclusives are gone and many current Xbox One owners most likely would not have purchased, or even heard of this game but a cancellation is still shocking.

Hopefully Nier Automata gets Platinum back on track because since Bayonetta 2, the company has not done of comparable note to its past output.

I'm so much happier now that I'm dead. Technically missing. Soon to be presumed dead. Gone. .
I get this reference and absolutely love that you have done this. You even combined "Japanese Culture and Honor" into this. 10/10
 

wanders

Member
First off, I don't think its a very big blow. I don't remember seeing a lot of great response from fans when they showed off the gameplay way back when. This title had the markings of a game that didn't seem like it would be very successful in today's market. Granted, I'm just basing that opinion off of old gameplay footage but to be fair many people gauge purchases by that same measure.

I think Phil Spencer is doing a great job steering the ship. Fans WANTED Gears of War 4. I think the timing of the release worked against it as well as a hard push for esports which never fucking works when you try to force that stuff. Aside from that, I think Gears 4 is doing pretty well and the issues the game has had post-launch (microtransactions and RNG pissing off the fans) are things they can fix.

Fans will still want Halo 6 and Gears 5. I know I do. Granted they are in a very competitive genre and there are a lot of other games for fans to stray to, but there are people that want those games and it is on Microsoft to manage their expectations for success and adjust the development budget accordingly.

Having first party content is important, however the Xbox One is doing as well as it is in the US right now because it plays most of the games that the PS4 does and they priced it very aggressively this past season between all the bundles and deals they had going on. A good chunk of the consumer who buys videogames in this country will look at the price and say "Hey this one is $50 cheaper and it'll play Overwatch just like the PS4, plus it comes with these 2-5 games" and that will be all it takes to keep Xbox in the running. I'm with you in that I'd like to see them surprise us with some great 1st party titles this year, but I think maybe they are looking at their options at the moment and 2017 might be a slim year for exclusives, and that's okay as long as they get it sorted by 2018.

It's certainly getting a response now.
 

Axass

Member
I'm so much happier now that I'm dead. Technically missing. Soon to be presumed dead. Gone.

And this lazy oblivious and incompetent "Microsoft" company will go to prison for my murder. They took my pride and my dignity and my hope and my money. They took and took from me until I no longer existed. That's murder. Let the punishment fit the crime. To fake a convincing release date for Scale-fucking-bound you have to have discipline. You befriend a local foold, Platinum Games. Harvest the details of his hundrum life and cram him with stories about how development will be "doing fine", how the the game will soon be playable from start to finish. Secretly create some money troubles: forced online co-op, micotransactions, western bullshit. With the help of the unwitting, you bump up your life insurance. Purchase the Xbox One. With the Elite Controller. Generic. Overpriced. Pay cash. You need to package yourself so that people will truly mourn your loss. And I don't know how much you know about Japan, but they truly believe in honor, it's an important part of their culture... You know what's hard? Faking your excitement for this game. First, you pretend to follow all the dishearting news about this trainwerk of a game. Watch every damn E3 showing. From the first CGi vaporware trailer. Wake up at fucking 3.a.m, June 2016 just to see how this game has been resorted to a How To Train a Flying Potato simulator. Then you steal a Recore copy. And you pretend to like it. Voila! The game is nothing like you wanted. You wasted 60 dollars. Happy 3th Anniversary of this game's announcement. But then you go on NeoGAF, and post "wow I loved the E3 demo, MS is doing a great job :)" while you dry off the tears running down your face. Wait for the clueless director to announce the release date. Off he goes... and the clock is ticking. 20 weeks away from the release day and they haven't even shown final console footage yet. You feel fisically ill. A lot. A lot. A lot. You start to post about how the game is likely being saved for Scorpio How the game still retains that Hideki Kamiya-sama magic, even though you know deep in yourself that's one hell of a lie. June. E3 starts and they fucking bring a broken demo on stage. "Well, Platinum has never made a bad game, so there's no reason not to trust them". I repeat to myself. But everyone else playing the demo booths agrees that it is just bad. And because you're you, you don't stop there. You go back. To the day this fucking game was announced. Start with the fairy-tale days. The biggest Xbox One exclusive. A system seller title. From the creator of Resident Evil 2 and Bayonetta. Those are true. After that, you invent. "Scalebound was supposed to relive the Xbox brand" "X1 would likely outsell PS4 when this game gets released... at least in the US" The spending, the abuse, the fear, the threat of violence... burn it, just the right amount. Make sure the fans will find it. Finally, honor tradition with a very special treasure hunt. And if I get everything right, the world will hate Microsoft for killing his beautiful, legacy franchise. And after all the outrage, when I'm ready, I'll go out on to GameStop and buy a Playstation 4 + NieR: Automata bundle. And when my mother finds me investing my precious time trying to bond with this hot anime girl, I'll look straight into her eyes and say "but have you looked at her butt? Have your really looked at her butt?" In that very moment, she knows. She fucking knows. As she handles me the nugget pieces she previously cooked for me, she leaves my room with these words: "NierR is the true savior of Platinum Games". And that's when the people will know, Microsoft dumped Scalebound like garbage, and it floated past all the other abused, unwanted, inconvenient titles like Phantom Dust and Fable: Legends. The Scalebound fans will be gone, but then... we never really existed. We loved a game we pretended to like.

"An Xbox One exclusive".

Gamers always use that, don't they? As their defining compliment: "Quantum Break is a true Xbox exclusive". A true Xbox One exclusive is hot. A true Xbox One exclusive is game. A true Xbox One exclusive is fun. A true Xbox One exclusive never makes its fans angry. It only smiles in a chagrined, loving manner. The Platinum Game fans like what they like, so evidently they're vinyl hipsters who loves fetish Manga. If they like girls gone wild, Claire Redfield was a good example of empowering woman design. Bayonetta is sexist trash.. When I met Phil Spencer I knew he wanted "true Xbox Exclusive experience". And for him, I'll admit: Scalebound truly was it. He created an empty development funded by vapor and nothingness. Microsoft rewrote the concept to fit those Sony esclusive games everyone loves. They put headphones into the game because we all love headphones. They showed the game, semi-regularly. I lived in the moment. The same dragon portion for three years. I was fuckinging game. I can't say I didn't enjoy some of it. Microsoft teased out in me things I didn't know existed. A lightness, a humor, an ease. But I made them smarter. Sharper. I inspired them to rise to my level. I forged the company of my dreams. We were happy pretending to be other people. We were the happiest couple we knew. And what's the point of being together if you're not the happiest? But Platinum got lazy and Microsoft stubborn. They delayed the game. Microsoft actually expected me to love support their Xbox console unconditionally. And before finishing with Platinum, they delayed the game another time. From Holiday 2016, to simply "2017". We knew it was coming. We knew that what the press sneaks were telling us, was true.

You think I'd let Microsoft destroy me and end up happier than ever?

No fucking way.

They don't get to win. I don't know how much the rest of you know about social culture (I'm an expert), but grown-ups work for things. Grown-ups pay.

Grown-ups suffer consequences.

A+
 

ElRenoRaven

Member
Wow. Guess they wanted to get ahead of it and just come clean after the Kotaku article. Shame it's canceled. Looked interesting the few times they showed it off.
 

Gestault

Member
I'd at least expect them to not treat their cancellation announcement for an incredibly anticipated game like an advertisement for other games."

Honestly, that's unreasonable. They're being clear that the one game is cancelled. And the way you characterize it was an advertisement is overselling a brief written statement.

You're expecting an official communication to relish in only the negatives of a situation. They don't work that way.
 
Phantom Dust
Sea of Thieves
State of Decay 2
Crackdown 3
Halo Wars 2

They have five exclusives coming up in 2017 at this moment, FIVE.
I'm not counting small downloadable titles here, but still, you get the point.
I had really hoped for more since the phil spencer era started.

Good joke. I believe it when i see it.
 
It was just a joke he obviously didn't mean it.

TBH it was stupid of the guy to basically say "Great this amazing expensive gift my fiancé got me is a big fat turd" in a place where she could read it.

I know if my fiancé put that kind of money into a gift even if it was something I didn't like for her sake I'd smile and pretend to love it.
Heh, at least I'm not the only one who read it that way.
 

ironcreed

Banned
More and more I see this as Microsoft making it easy for themselves to pull out of gaming and just become a platform/storefront like Valve.

Or maybe the game was just in development hell, as evidenced by Platinum missing deadlines, etc. You can't keep throwing money into a clearly failed project, which is why they cancelled it. Platinum not being able to deliver on the game is not Microsoft's fault and this game being a turd does not mean that Microsoft is looking for an exit, lol. Especially with a powerful new system releasing at the end of the year. Jesus, man.
 

farisr

Member
Wow, thats a massive disappointment for me... I was loving the look of the game and was truly looking forward to it.

This will definitely influence my decision for Scorpio...
Yeah, I was considering the Scorpio mainly due to EA Access' games in the future, but not gonna lie, I had games like this in mind and this being yet another big exlcusive title that MS has pushed hard, and ended up cancelling is just making me go"well it's not like you play those sports games for their visuals to begin with, and any other EA game that will have nice visuals + gameplay you can just get on the Pro that you already have. Stick to your XB1S"
 
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