Microsoft Confirms: Scalebound is Dead

We reported earlier some potentially bad news about the Hideki Kamiya-helmed co-op RPG for Xbox One, Scalebound. Similar end results for the Phantom Dust reboot as well as Fable: Legends had us worried, but hoped that maybe the project could simply be on hold. However, Microsoft has since made it official:

After careful deliberation, Microsoft Studios has come to the decision to end production for "Scalebound." We're working hard to deliver an amazing lineup of games to our fans this year, including "Halo Wars 2," "Crackdown 3," "State of Decay 2," "Sea of Thieves" and other great experiences. For more information on our 2017 plans, please visit: https://news.xbox.com/2017/01/05/xbox-closes-milestone-year-in-2016/ ."

This has us wondering what is in store for future AAA development for Platinum Games and developers like Kamiya. We've seen other independent studios such as Obsidian Entertainment back out of the industry to focus on smaller titles to some pretty great success. We've also seen Platinum games partner with other hardware manufacturers and publishers, so we expect them to be around for a long time still, we're just disappointed that Scalebound is no longer on the calendar. 

From our original story: 

Scalebound was announced back in E3 2014. It had E3 and Gamescom press conference demonstrations that failed to wow, but in 2015 and 2016 we were guided through private live demos of its world by Hideki Kamiya, who described the game as a dream project. The live demos were much more promising, featuring things like NPCs, towns, and proper full-on RPG mechanics.  

This'll be the third high-profile Microsoft Game Studios cancelation in recent times, and the second RPG - Fable Legends was canned stunningly close to release, and Phantom Dust was shelved before gameplay was ever shown. This news and the pattern formed of course raises further questions about Microsoft's game portfolio and their ongoing plans for the Xbox business.