Scalebound would have been different with a Japanese publisher, but its director is not sure it would have escaped cancellation
Hideki Kamiya believes that Japanese companies are more permissive with innovations.
Scalebound was one of the most anticipated exclusive titles for Xbox One, but Microsoft decided to cancel it, much to the disappointment of gamers. Hideki Kamiya, then director of PlatinumGames, said at the time that he would like to revive the project, although this has not materialized. Now, in an interview with VGC, he has explained that he believes the process would have been different if he had worked with a Japanese publisher.
Kamiya believes that Japanese companies are more willing to take risks and build new mechanics. He cites his own games as examples, each of which focuses on a specific mechanic. For example, in Okami it was the brush, while in Bayonetta it was Witch Time. “What it feels like when working with Japanese publishers is that the development culture feels closer to mind, and they tend to be more understanding toward creators,” he said.
“On the Japanese side, my impression is that they see you’re trying to make a new invention. They understand the struggle of trying to give birth to something new, and they watch over the process with patience. That’s where I see there’s a difference with publishers.” Western publishers, on the other hand, tend to put more pressure on authors and ask them to prove themselves.
The specific case of Scalebound
Regarding Scalebound specifically, Kamiya has stated that, in his opinion, “I do think it would’ve been different.” He explains: “I don’t mean that if it had been a Japanese publisher, the game would necessarily have been completed and released, but I imagine the process itself would have played out differently.”
Even so, the director has made it clear that the responsibility ultimately lay with PlatinumGames and himself: “I don’t want there to be any misunderstanding – the failure of Scalebound was ultimately the responsibility of PlatinumGames, myself as director included. But because I have now experienced working with overseas publishers, I feel that if the opportunity ever comes again, we’ll find a way to take advantage of both sides’ strengths.”
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In Scalebound, the idea was for the player to control a dragon and its rider: “There was no clear reference or format for us to follow,” so it was easy for “some [people] to have doubts.”
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