Nearly A Decade On, Legendary Director Hideki Kamiya Says He's "100% Serious" About Reviving Xbox's Canned Scalebound

In a recent interview with VGC, legendary game director Hideki Kamiya reiterated his deep desire to resurrect Scalebound, the highly anticipated action-RPG that was cancelled by Microsoft nearly a decade ago. Originally planned as an exclusive title for the Xbox One, the ambitious project was officially shut down in 2017 after spending roughly four years in active development at PlatinumGames. Despite the passage of time, Kamiya revealed that he remains completely serious about wanting to see the project through to completion if the opportunity ever presents itself.

When questioned about whether he had initiated any direct discussions with Xbox CEO Asha Sharma regarding a potential revival, Kamiya clarified that no such talks have taken place yet. However, the director made it clear that he is incredibly eager to rebuild that professional bridge and collaborate with Microsoft once again. He publicly extended an open invitation to the publisher, stating that if they have any interest in reviving the intellectual property, he is fully prepared to make it happen.

Kamiya, whose illustrious portfolio includes directing iconic titles such as Devil May Cry, Resident Evil 2, Bayonetta, and Okami, admitted that the ultimate cancellation of Scalebound remains a major point of regret for him. He described the game's inability to reach the market as highly unfortunate and emphasized that his motivation to finish what he started has not waned over the years. This persistent drive is what fuels his current optimism for a future revival.

While the desire to work on Scalebound is strong, Kamiya acknowledged that his newly established development studio, Clovers, is not currently in a position to take on the project immediately. The fresh studio is currently dedicating its resources to the development of Okami 2, a highly anticipated sequel being made in partnership with publisher Capcom. Because of this major commitment, any potential revival of the cancelled Xbox title would have to wait until the studio has the necessary bandwidth.

Despite the current scheduling constraints, Kamiya draws inspiration from his success in bringing Okami back. He expressed a firm belief that intense dedication to a project eventually opens up the necessary pathways to make it a reality. Pointing to the resurrection of the Okami franchise after so many years as proof of this philosophy, he remains hopeful that a similar breakthrough will eventually occur for Scalebound.

The original vision for Scalebound featured a headphone-wearing protagonist who fought alongside a massive, fire-breathing dragon capable of devastating enemies on the battlefield. Following its cancellation, PlatinumGames CEO Atsushi Inaba later noted that both the development studio and Microsoft shared responsibility for the project's ultimate failure. With many PlatinumGames alumni now working alongside Kamiya at Clovers, the creative talent behind the original concept is largely reunited, keeping the dream of the game's release alive.