Xbox Head Phil Spencer Says Cancellation Of 'Scalebound' Is Better For Xbox Gamers

It was announced yesterday that “Scalebound” for the Xbox One and PC has been canceled by Microsoft Studios. Xbox head Phil Spencer has now commented on the cancellation of the game, stating that the decision would be better for gamers.

“[It was a] Difficult decision, we believe result is better 4 Xbox gamers, still disappointing,” Spencer said on Twitter. “I’m confident in [20]17 lineup that’s our focus.” Spencer’s comments seem a bit vague, but he might mean that the cancellation of “Scalebound” might benefit Xbox gamers in the long run.

To follow that up, Spencer also expressed confidence in Microsoft’s lineup of games this year. This is also somewhat similar to the statement released by Microsoft yesterday. “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.”

Following the announcement, Mcirosoft started taking down trailers and other videos of "Scalebound" from its several YouTube channels. The company has also taken down the game's official website and has replaced it with a page showing its official statement.

“Scalebound” was first announced back at E3 2014 during the Xbox press conference. It was being developed by PlatinumGames, the same Japanese development team behind “Bayonetta,” “Metal gear Rising: Revengeance” and “Star Fox Zero.” Prior the cancellation, “Scalebound” was being directed by Hideki Kamiya, whose most notable works include “Resident Evil 2,” “Devil May Cry” and “Viewtiful Joe."

“Scalebound” would have been an ambitious third-person RPG where players take control of Drew, a man travelling the world of Draconis accompanied by a dragon called Thuban. Players would have been able to switch between Drew and Thuban within the game.

“Scalebound” made it to multiple lists of highly-anticipated games since its 2014 announcement. The game was delayed several times since then, switching from a “holiday 2016” release date to a much broader “2017” placeholder.

Sources indicated that the relationship between Microsoft and PlatinumGames soured around August 2016. Senior members of the dev team were apparently “forced” to take a one month break from the game, according to Eurogamer.

When development resumed, “Scalebound” was behind schedule. Issues regarding the game’s engine and other deadlines continued to persist which ultimately led to its cancellation.