Scalebound's cancellation is a bad day for all Xbox One gamers - but what went wrong?

Harry writes "Scalebound, an action RPG developed by Platinum Games exclusively for the Xbox One has been cancelled. Rumours began swirling when Microsoft omitted mention of Scalebound in its Xbox Wire post which discussed the future of Xbox One. The rumours reached fever pitch yesterday when Kotaku reported that they had been in touch with Microsoft who simply replied that they’d have more information on Scalebound “soon”. The official news from Microsoft and Platinum Games came soon after. Should we have seen this coming? Why did this happen? What does this mean?"

[oKidUKo]

Absolutely gutted about this one. Was really looking forward to it.

[never4get]

UNREAL ENGINE 4 EPIC FAILED SCALEBOUND. Why people ignoring the toxic Unreal Engine 4?!!! Gears of War 4 Bias!!!

[trooper_]

You keep telling yourself that never4get.

[bouzebbal]

I wanna believe this has to do with the fact they want to insure a new beginning like at PS3 days when Eight Days, The Getaway and a few other projects got canned out of nowhere, but seeing the state gaming is at xbox i have more than hard time to justify this..

[Aenea]

What the heck does this have to do with Unreal Engine 4? What do you think it's doing that negatively impacts game development?

[Silly Mammo]

Engine fanboys?!? This is all getting to be too much!

[Condemnedman]

what's wrong with gears 4 I'm having a blast.

[jznrpg]

It was the one big game I wanted on xb1. Only multiplat japanese games this gen for xb1 , too bad

[andrewsquall]

And only 3 days since Major Dumbass started the Scorpio E3 Countdown, you'd think they would get any other awful news like this out of the way.

[Summons75]

I'm sure when they do announce the Scorpio officially we will see a lot of games like Crackdown 3 or Sea of Thieves get the "they are still releasing on xbox one and teh cloud will make the better but with Scorpio you can do destroy all of Crackdown's city without the cloud and offline" then Halo 6 being a Scorpio exclusive. They are making the transition to next gen is all.

[Kokyu]

Yep I expect to see Scorpio sporting a new CPU and we already know it has a new GPU, new Ram and a new hard drive. I really feel they realize the xbone wont be able to compete much longer with its weaker hardware, so they are on to better things and next gen with Scorpio. So MS and Nitendo start next gen this year, I figure Sony will annouce Ps5 at Ps experience this year, talk about official spec, price and official full reveal at E3 next year and release fall 2018.

Disclaimer "Scorpio is compatible with xbone soits not next gen" yes it is. Ps3 was back compat with ps1 and 2, originally, and it was next gen so your retort is moot. If a console has totally new CPU,GPU and Ram then its next gen

2nd disclaimer I dont care what anyone else thinks, this is what I think will happen.

[Rude-ro]

How does this fix microsofts issue? Games!
6 years now and not a single new AAA first party title, they get called out on their monopolizing third party games, and they end up in situations like this due to leaning on outside developers...
The last 3 years of the 360 people said the exact same thing... "they are getting games ready for the "new console""... at what point do people realize that Microsoft is not a gaming company?

[ninsigma]

I think that would be such a stupid move though. We saw what they did last gen when all their games dried up. They had a couple good years this gen but 2016 was pretty barren (a part from a couple good games) and 2017 isn't looking too hot either. There's no trust there for people to say "oh look, Microsofts next gen xbox, I'll buy that!". If it does turn out to be their next gen and they try to leave behind the xbox one, why would anyone have faith enough in them to think it's a good idea to buy it??

[TheCommentator]

Summons, it's common knowledge that there are no Scorpio exclusives with the possible exception of VR, but even exclusives in VR are questionable now that Oculus has a mode for their games to run on extremely low powered computers. Also, Scorpio is not a new generation of HW, but an upgraded version of the prototype design that went into the XB1.

Look at the evidence: Vega is a more powerful version of XB1's GPU, not a new GPU, which is obvious if you look at their architectures. MS upgraded the XB1 CPU for multithreading with advanced capabilities like 6ops/clock instead of 2. MS has weaker HW but it's vastly more efficient because of it's HW acceleration, and games like BF1 help to prove it is more capable than most people first believed. SM6 finally introduces multithreaded shaders that greatly benefit Tiled Resources. Win10 introduces EMA to orchestrate multithreading in a more efficient way. FH3 utilizes uses a HW accelerated Voxel based lighting engine. Gears 4 uses FL12.1's HW Accelerated Tiled Resources for the first time. There's no denying that the XB1 is late to the party, but now that all of the HW accelerators are beginning to get used the "power" issue is already fading away.

I'm done being cautious with my predictions because there's too much evidence to support the theory, so mark my words: The gap in visual fidelity will not just disappear, but XB1 will evolve past the PS4 in the coming years... possibly even by the time this holiday's releases arrive. Scorpio programming is in full swing and that means new engines are coming that will continue to benefit the XB1 as well. Meanwhile, Sony admitted last year that they have no more juice to squeeze out of PS4, they disappointed gamers with PSVR and offered apologies, and duct taped the 310 watt space heater (I mean Pro) together as a reaction to the monster that we call Scorpio in order to beat them to market.

MS planned all of this from the beginning (Beta Tested in the Future), but fell short with XB1 because of massive Win10/DX12 delays. Sony OTOH, was only lucky enough to bump the PS4's RAM to 8gb because of the mole they had placed over at MS, and would have had no advantage at all if it weren't for the upgrade. Don't believe the mole theory? Look up the article about the kid that was shipped an XB1 before launch!

[Silkside]

Nelson is the biggest ass, I still remember him snatching the mic from Angry Joe after Joe questioned him about being alway online etc.

[EmperorDalek]

From what I remember, he was just quickly trying to clarify something. To me it seemed like a move done in stress, which is understandable as that would have been a very stressful time for Xbox representatives. It wasn't done in anger or to piss anyone off.

He wasn't the one that cancelled the game, and it's possible he only found out about it when we did. And even if he did know, there's not a lot he could have done.

[frostypants]

The buck stops where?

[Phunkydiabetic1]

Let's be real here, it's been a bad day for Xbox gamers since the One was announced.

[Captain_Tom]

Honestly I am surprised people still buy or even talk about XBOX.

The final nail was put in the coffin at E3 2016 when MS announced XBOX would never get another exclusive.

[CrimsonWing69]

All I can say is this was one game I was really looking forward to playing and MS done *ucked it up! Why not look for another dev team to finish it? Instead it gets the ol' Phantom Dust heave hoe...

[Fishy Fingers]

How do you know there is anything worth finishing? The project may have amounted to nothing more than a few trailers and a broken game.

MS would of been the last person who would of wanted to cancel the project after financing it for 3/4 years. To cancel at this point entirely rather and release what they had completed indicates it must of been a mess.

[CrimsonWing69]

Look, it's a game and there's a concept. Give that to another capable dev that can make decisions to change here and there and have it optimized on the system. We've seen enough gameplay trailers to get a round about idea of what some of the gameplay would've been like. We've seen an open world area and a boss fight.

MS is the one that pulled the plug, if it meant that much to them why not seek another developer? I mean look at all the responses on here, apparently there was enough shown to garner serious interest.

[Fishy Fingers]

Did you read my opening question? How do you know there is anything worth saving? Because some carefully cut together trailers. You don't.

If it was financial viable considering what has been produced to get it finished by another Dev don't you think that's what they would have done? MS aren't aiming to disappoint people, they're in the business of making money (or minimising loses when appropriate), more experienced people than you or I would have considered all the options prior to pulling the plug after years of backing. Think about it.

[nix]

Crimson,

maybe MS did a research and found out that the game has no substance. and look at all the new IP sale on Xbox 1. No one really supports new IPs in Xbox community. The game may just have turned out to be like Recore or QB.

[Nyxus]

Then why did Microsoft keep showing the game, up until the last E3 only a few months ago? You would think they would have seen it coming. It's Microsoft's own fault for hyping up this game for years and then suddenly out of the blue cancelling it, and now we just have to accept that this is good news '4 gamers'?

[candystop]

MS knows its gamers will not buy trash. Sure we don't support games that are mediocre but that doesn't mean we dont support new ips. PLATINUM might be the blame here. All of this blaming MS may have nothing to do with them at all.

[Automatic79]

Read the Eurogamer article.

[game4funz]

You pretend like you know a lot.
A concept may never be fully realized and sometimes you have to let it go.

It sucks but it happens in all design work, gaming or otherwise.

[Immorals]

The main protagonist and the Dubstep was awful, but the rest of the game looked promising. Shame :/

[PlayableGamez-]

Scalebound cancellation has pushed me to put my Xbox One up for sale. I no longer have faith MS is going to deliver any generation defining experiences on Xbox One. If Crackdown 3, Sea of Thieves, State of Decay 2, and Halo Wars 2 is considered a "packed" year for them, then that cripples my confident in Xbox as a brand. The PS lineup first two months alone destroys anything Xbox has to offer in the entire year. I know MS has "unannounced experiences" -- which we know for sure Forza 7 is among those experiences, they are going to have to drop the Xbox's TLOU quality of a game plus more to gain back my interest. I defended the Xbox way to long. Now any criticism they get from here on out is fair game. Oh and as for Scorpio, that thing is going to flop if MS doesn't give consumers a reason to buy the machine outside of it's horse power.

[LordMaim]

You might want to wait a few months until you at least know their strategy with Scorpio.

[PlayableGamez-]

I don't care about the Scorpio at this point. I just want games dude. I play games not hardware.

[LordMaim]

You don't think they might be announcing some games at the same time?

[C-H-E-F]

LMAO...

[dRanzer]

bottom line - no one can compete with Sony first party studios.

[Elda]

Or their line-up of diverse exclusive games!

[--bienio--]

Bla bla bla..This game was shit right from the beginning. Good decision M$

[Nyxus]

Yeah, good! Less games!

[SaveFerris]

Answer: Microsoft Studios.

[trooper_]

Microsoft went wrong, that's what happened. They really need to implement changes, otherwise they're going to lose what's left of their fanbase.

Scalebound looked like it had potential. Rough around the edges but that's expected of an early game.

A real shame.

[aconnellan]

"Rough around the edges"?

The game has been in development for 4 years, has been delayed 2-3 times, and we only saw 1 or 2 trailers for it.

What would you do if the project you'd been investing millions and millions of dollars into was missing deadlines/milestones and internally underperforming?

Would you say "yeah no worries, let's put more multi million dollars into it, even though it's supposed to have released already", or would you cut your losses?

It's a tough decision and an awful situation all around. But you don't cancel a project and lose millions of dollars based on a whim

[Nyxus]

Then they shouldn't have keep showing it at their shows, up until the most recent E3.

[Fishy Fingers]

Obviously at that point they remained optimistic Platinum would deliver something of worth/release. That was 7 months ago after all, they wouldn't of continued to fund development until now had they known

I want to know who responsible for cancelling peoples common sense.

[Rude-ro]

A. We have absolutely no idea how much was invested.
B. That is the predicament that Microsof put themselves in... if they spent "millions" of dollars hoping an outside developer would deliver a game, again,... when should Microsoft wake up and just create developers themselves for a lot cheaper and let them create the value by letting them make games worth while?

The point is, with our third party deals, Microsoft has nothing to offer. They are a bunch of tech heads trying to buy the next big hit to keep exclusive on their console so they can sell it.

[Deadpooled]

This http://i.gifntext.com/NyhtZ...

[marquisray]

The scorpio will silence all cant wait. I have a family so i have 3 pc's i do work on them i also skipped the ps4 not a bad system just skipped it this time i really wont the best so i will wait for the scorpio this time whats kind of funny sony won e3 last year because ff7 remake but it is coming to the xbox one and also rime wow there is alot of mixed up people lol

[Goldby]

...

FF7R first to PS4, probably after that, Switch and MS.
Nothign wrong with that as more people will be able to experience it.

Were you hoping for a different response?

[Rude-ro]

:( you need a hug.

[FunAndGun]

lol, you sound pretty mixed up yourself.

[Featuring_Dante]

Love the xbox fanboy meltdown. Now that it is cancelled, it MUST be awful. This is a new type of brainwashing and stockholm syndrome!

[Darkfist_Flames]

thats the kind of thing that makes me glad i own a playstation :)

[Yo Mama]

You mean to tell me the game where you battle dragons then transform into a knight after putting on your Dre Beats was cancelled? Whaaaaaat!? You don't say!?!

[Doabarrelroll]

A combination of TWO things.
1. PG taking too much at one time without the man power needed. Rockstar and ND have like what 300+ people and only take on two projects ant once. PG was at one time working on FOUR games at once and have less than 200 people.

2. MS not communicating well with PG.

scalebound was MSs most diverse game and a reason ALOT of people got an Xbox at least that's what people are saying. Their first half of 2017 is once again a dry spell for gamers

[FunAndGun]

I think Windows 10 is going to emerge as a number 3

[Featuring_Dante]

lol rockstar. They've used the same formula for all their games, i'm surprised no one caught on. Their games lack innovation.
Naughty dog... just lol
Awful gameplay and 'cinematic story'

[Elda]

Shame.

[PlatinumGX]

Release it on the PS4 with a different name.

[rightway]

I read the devs could not match the deadlines set by Microsoft so the game was going to be delayed again till 2018 or 2019. And, lets be honest the game looked off every time they revealed it. I think MS was sick of throwing money at this project and not seeing a return.

[Goldby]

i think ms is too impaitent and didnt want to sit down with PG and figure out how to solve the problem they were both in. I Think PG took on too much.

[corroios]

Even a 720p the game had problems to reach 30 frames on the Xbox One.

[wutang4ever]

Also a bad Day for PS gamers, competition keeps sony from getting Lazy.
Cmon MS pick up your slack.

[DualWielding]

What happen was that Platinum's heart was really in Nier Automata.. Scalebound was work they were simply doing for money which was resulting in a dull heartless game... Microsoft was able to read the leaves and decided to cut it's losses

[The-rain-maker]

Scalebound cancled #dealWithit

[Captain_Tom]

I'm not afraid to say it: They made a mistake when they put it on XBOX.

Nier: Automata is coming out just fine on PS4. Heck The Last Guardian did in fact come out eventually as well. MS is cancer to gaming.

[jokerisalive]

I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say it was cancelled due to the alleged employees at Platinum taking time off for mental health reasons caused by none other than........Larry Hyrb....AKA..Major Nelson...lol. Larry was propably driving them nuts making sure that the game would be part of the Windows 10 ecosystem, microtransactions, 24 hour online check in requirements, bla bla blahh....the devs propably wanted to commit suicide at that point listening to him. Or maybe the game itself was not running well this far in the dev cycle and Phil said to Larry "Lets go ahead and cancel it cuz I am not getting any Halo or Gears vibes from it' and Larry with a smiley face said to Phil "Funny...I was thinking the exact same thing!!!' Either way aside from me being goofy with that silly rant I was really looking forward to this game because it was something new and fresh for MS and Xbox. Not another Gears or Halo shooter but a cool looking RPG type game that would have helped to give their library some much needed depth. That is why I give Sony all the credit in the world where they take the risks and deliver diverse games that suit many different gamers needs and go thru with their projects and dont always cancel them after three years into the cycle. Bad move and bad day for MS and the XB1 brand. God help us if they cancel Crackdown 3 and Sea of Thieves as well.

[PhoenixUp]

What went right?

[joab777]

And those who planned on buying one for this game!

[Kyizen]

So who got an Xbox One at launch for $499 and was excited for Fable, Kinect titles and support, NFL intergration, and unique TV programing. Pretty much more than just Halo, Forza and Gear sequels each year...