Hideki Kamiya Teases Possible Scalebound Revival with Xbox’s Phil Spencer!

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Summary

  • Hideki Kamiya playfully hints at wanting to revive Scalebound with Xbox’s Phil Spencer.
  • Kamiya left PlatinumGames in 2023 and founded a new studio, Clovers, which is working on an Okami sequel.
  • Xbox’s extensive lineup of fantasy RPGs nowadays may hinder a potential Scalebound revival.

The hum of anticipation grows yet again as gaming legend Hideki Kamiya playfully prods Xbox’s Phil Spencer to resurrect the abandoned fantasy RPG, Scalebound. Originally unveiled in 2014 during the early days of Xbox One, Scalebound was PlatinumGames’ exclusive title for the Xbox console, led by Hideki Kamiya – a renowned figure from games like Devil May Cry, Bayonetta, and Okami. Unfortunately, the development of Scalebound came to a halt in 2017, rumored to be due to complications during production. Since then, some Xbox enthusiasts have secretly held out hope for a reemergence of Scalebound with Kamiya once again at the helm.

Over the last several years, Hideki Kamiya’s career has been nothing if not bustling. After spending 17 years at PlatinumGames, a studio he helped establish in 2006, Kamiya departed from the company in 2023 due to differences with fellow co-founder Itsushi Inaba. Not long after, Kamiya joined Clovers, a studio predominantly composed of former PlatinumGames members. At the 2024 Game Awards, it was disclosed that Clovers is collaborating with Capcom to produce a sequel to Okami, with Kamiya serving as the project’s director. This announcement, along with another significant Capcom revival for Onimusha: Way of the Sword, was among the most buzzed-about events of the night.

A couple of months following the unveiling of the Okami sequel at The Game Awards, the team at Clover Studios shared a brief video clip on Twitter featuring Hideki Kamiya working at his desk, surrounded by other Clover developers, who were watching some old trailers for the canceled game Scalebound. In the tweet, it was mentioned that Kamiya was reminiscing about the abandoned dragon RPG, and he expressed his hope to create it again in the future. This statement was followed by a quote from the director, “I’d love to make it again someday.” Interestingly, Kamiya himself retweeted this post on Twitter, saying “Let’s do it, Phil,” addressing none other than Head of Xbox Phil Spencer.

Hideki Kamiya is Interested in Reviving Scalebound

It’s evident that Kamiya appears keen on reviving the project, Scalebound. However, there’s doubt if Xbox still wishes to pursue this venture. Unlike during the early days of Xbox One, Xbox now boasts a substantial collection of first-party studios and an extensive roster of upcoming big games, making it less in need of new first-party titles. Furthermore, Xbox currently has several large fantasy RPGs under development. Last month saw the release of Obsidian’s Avowed, Playground Games’ Fable reboot is slated for next year, and The Elder Scrolls 6 from Todd Howard and Bethesda Game Studios is in the pipeline. Moreover, Xbox is collaborating with Hitman developer IO Interactive on Project Dragon, a fantasy game. Given this crowded landscape, it seems challenging to find space for another significant fantasy game within Xbox’s portfolio at present.

For now, followers of Hideki Kamiya’s work can anticipate the sequel to Okami, but since it doesn’t have a release date yet, it seems the Okami sequel won’t be out for several years. As for the possibility of Scalebound returning, if Xbox decides to bring back the dragon-riding action RPG in the future, it would probably be released long after the Okami sequel has been launched, as Clovers Studio is a new team and relatively small.

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2025-03-03 23:24