onemanasylum
Banned
Make sure not to pee the bed though lol.
Scalebound cancelled [Platinum Games and Kamiya have commented]
- Thread starter SteveO409
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Make sure not to pee the bed though lol.
SmokedMeat
Gamer™
Stupid how? Other people besides Nintendo fans should be able to play Platinum's games! Hence the reason I said I wouldn't want them stuck under Nintendo the way some are calling for Nintendo to outright buy them.
Your reply that Nintendo had their "best" games doesn't justify a future of Platinum titles being tied down to Nintendo hardware.
Crimson_Gold
Member
Yes and we have companies like Ubisoft, EA, and Activision focusing on the service type model. AA titles are few and far between. Single player focused games are getting rarer. The 3rd parties aren't going to fill that void for them
Prithee Be Careful
Industry Professional
There's very little reason to expect this. That the hardware is there and more powerful is no guarantee that developers will bother to take full advantage. The PS4 Pro has already shown that developer uptake is steady at best and that's even with Cerny's deliberate approach to making it as straightforward as possible.
The PS4 already has a number of 'upgrades' which it's hard to imagine stretching the potential of PS4 Pro (Overwatch, The DIvision).
With the Scorpio's pricepoint set to be slightly higher than the Pro and the brand generally struggling outside the US, it's hard to imagine that the install base will exist to compel developers to produce even the base level support that Pro has seen. To expect that all multiplatforms will now run better and look better has little basis in reality.
As an Xbox fan, the state of their exclusive lineup is troubling to me. I do miss the days of the OG Xbox and early 360, where MS would take some chances on new IP. Now, it seems that they are completely risk averse. That spirit that built the original Xbox is all but gone. I think Phil has good intentions, but he is still beholden to his bosses and operating budget.
The funny thing is that MS has talented development studios. I would love if they gave 343 a crack at a new IP. The Coalition should be working on more than just Gears for the next 10 years. Revive some of the great Rare IPs and give them a AAA budget. That would bring some much needed diversity back to the platform.
I still like gaming on my Xbox, but I will be picking up a PS4 this year to go along with it. The diversity of the PS4 library is a great thing and I'm looking forward to diving in.
The funny thing is that MS has talented development studios. I would love if they gave 343 a crack at a new IP. The Coalition should be working on more than just Gears for the next 10 years. Revive some of the great Rare IPs and give them a AAA budget. That would bring some much needed diversity back to the platform.
I still like gaming on my Xbox, but I will be picking up a PS4 this year to go along with it. The diversity of the PS4 library is a great thing and I'm looking forward to diving in.
Empyrean Heaven
Member
So what's everyone's thoughts about Nintendo perhaps bailing Platinum out? AFAIK they have nothing announced past Nier, and they have always had a really good relationship.
frankie_baby
Member
ShinUltramanJ wont like it
If MS isn't willing to sink in anymore money I doubt Nintendo would.
I'm sure it did well, probably better than expected even, but supply issues or not the Slim has and will most likely continue to outsell it comfortably. If Sony thought otherwise I think they would have supplied more.
GlamFM
Banned
Yeah, no.
I was super hyped after initial reveal, but the second showing was bad. This looks rough, even rougher than I remembered.
And also a lot closer to FFXV in terms of art direction than I remember.
Who knows, maybe FFXV is actually a factor in this mess.
Omnistalgic
Member
They can and are, only for many like myself, MS aren't getting some of the best ones. Just take a look at some of the more interesting games coming from Asian devs and even some Indy's...Completely absent on X1, along with Sony and Nintendo just having a much larger World Wide Studios, it adds up. You can rely solely on 3rd parties to bail you out every year for sales and especially not with variety. 3rd parties want to sell, they aren't contributing directly to the vision of your platform.
ElBoxyBrown
Banned
I think your downplaying third-parties. It's not as bad as you think. We're getting varied games from them this year just like last year and the year before that.
Niche Japanese games are the only games absent on Xbox.
Ban Puncher
Member
akidnamededdy
Banned
Nintendo got two Platinum exclusives into stores this past gen (one a new IP even) and had them work on Star Fox. If anyone IS likely to sink any money into Platinum, it's Nintendo.
Crimson_Gold
Member
The major tent pole releases are multiplayer focused. Even assassin's creed is going this way. There will be some variation, but the earnings calls have been filled with verbiage confirming the shift from the major players.
Tyrant Rave
Banned
Probably a bad a idea since I like the quirkiness in PG, but PG should definitely make a Zelda Spin-off at some point. Controlling Link with PG level of combat would be amazing.
Yeah like W101 is like my #2 favorite game on the Wii U, but I wish it could have been on other consoles too so more people would be able to play it.
Well Platinum was listed on the list of Switch developers, so that's something.
I imagine that Nintendo is keen to avoid another Wii U situation, where they launched a console without the software base to actually drive sales. Additionally, it's well-known that Platinum has a dedicated fan base. Adding even a single Platinum game to your console will go a long ways towards encouraging Platinum fans to buy it.
I think it's likely that we'll get a Platinum x Switch announcement in the not-too-distant future. Additionally, if/when Bayo3 starts getting planned, Nintendo will probably have first dibs to help publish it.
So yeah. Nothing concrete, but I'm optimistic that the ball is already rolling for the next Platinum-Nintendo project.
It depends on if they can get funding for another project. Luckily, financial bombs have more of an impact on the publishers than on Platinum themselves (in that the risk of the game selling well, if it is a properly made game that isn't bad critically, is on the publisher and not on P*). If they were critical failures as well as financial failures then it would be harder for them to get jobs and in turn be worse sign for them. They got one Nier coming out soon so I'm sure they have to find work from a publisher soon
ElBoxyBrown
Banned
Platinum and Ninja Theory can join forces and make the ultimate game that won't sell. 
ElBoxyBrown
Banned
killatopak
Member
MS relationship with PG is basically done with this. I doubt there'll be future collaborations.
Nydius
Member
With all due respect to your digging around, we have seen NOTHING of the game since Gamescom 2015 and what we did see it was merely a pre-rendered announcement teaser at E3 2014 and a tech demo at Gamescom 2015. Likewise, outside of last June's PR laden post by the game's creative director explaining why the game wasn't going to be at E3, we have heard nothing from the devs themselves about any progress of the game for over a year.
It's been three full years since it was teased and there's precious little information about the game, its campaign, world design, features, multiplayer modes, or anything else. Until I see or hear something substantial - not just PR speak with lines like "power of the Microsoft Cloud" or "redefine what it feels like to play games" - from Reagent Games or Microsoft, I'm just going to assume the game is never going to happen and/or is next on the chopping block. Edit: Nothing so far gives me any confidence that Crackdown 3, even if safe, is a 2017 title.
I still maintain Microsoft either has no idea what they're trying to do with the game or that they keep moving the goal posts on Reagent Games.
Is that well known? Rather, do you actually think the Platinum fanboy base is large enough for that alone to drive a project? Their games have not been selling well at all, despite being good, if you can get like, 2,000 extra people to buy your console but have to dump a ton of cash into making Bayonetta 3, it's probably still not worth it in the long run.
Gotta love how it still all falls at MS' feet, the game didn't look great, it's not unreasonable to cancel projects that have a ton of trouble and aren't coming together.
We know as much from Shinobi's tweet (A fairly trustworthy source) as we know from any of the scalebound tweets... One of those things got us 75 pages of outrage.
I love Platinum and was extremely hopeful for this game. But it is beyond obvious that it was a hot mess that was in development hell. Probably worse than we even know and that is why I can't blame Microsoft for pulling fuckery to get out of what they knew was a bad deal.
The game was never going to be what we wanted it to be and would have been a steaming pile of broken embarrassment with far too much money dumped into it had it ever released. Microsoft did not just pull out of the game to be dicks or because they just don't want any new exclusives. I mean come on.
The game was never going to be what we wanted it to be and would have been a steaming pile of broken embarrassment with far too much money dumped into it had it ever released. Microsoft did not just pull out of the game to be dicks or because they just don't want any new exclusives. I mean come on.
Glass Rebel
Member
Personally wouldn't want that because it'd mean
1. No more PC versions of their games
2. No opportunities like NieR: Automata
I would only want this if Platinum was literally on its deathbed.
Uno Venova
Banned
People more in the know have speculated/reported otherwise.
Amen. While it's hugely disappointing to have the game cancelled, chances are that it was done so with good reason.
onemanasylum
Banned
See Phantom Dust, it's never this simple. Now we don't know what happened here yet, but publisher/management middling is a thing, and so is feature/scope creep. Even a dev confirmed this here...If you work in the real world you know things are never this cut and dry, now I repeat we don't know what really happened in this case yet.
I mean we have examples of MS doing this exact thing in this thread.
Nydius
Member
This "outrage" started in earnest when the title was officially cancelled.
I respect the trustworthiness of the tweet but none of that changes a single line of what I wrote. You have a high profile game that's announced with a short teaser, then a tech demo over a year later, then silence for almost 14 months minus a single dev blog.. and you want me to sit here and believe the game is fine and going to show up by Q4 2017?
In any other context, we'd be talking about how Crackdown 3 is clearly in the midst of development hell but because some people are so desperate to believe Microsoft can't drop the ball that hard, they'll just ignore reality. 14 months without a peep, without so much as a second tease about game features... but go on, keep believing you'll see it this year.
Thats really hard to believe when you have people close to the matter saying the exact opposite.
Whatever you have to tell yourself not to feel like the sting though...
How do you or anyone else know this when we have multiple sources stating MS was smothering this game in the crib ala Phantom Dust and others pointing out Platinum's record for delivering on games (quality aside in a couple instances) given strict budgets.
We obviously do not know but the rumor mill is pointing towards this being on MS and strictly MS and seeing their track record in the past I am inclined to believe it.
RedSparrows
Member
That they did it just to be dicks?
Stories of MS's bad behaviour are still not the whole picture, unless you believe MS to be constitutionally incompetent or... evil. Granted, either are possible.
Maybe it was originally an SP game and MS wanted Multilayer as well, maybe MS wanted a Microtransaction like system that wasn't conducive to the game's mechanics, if the Phantom Dust situation is to be believed maybe MS demanded more without increasing the budget.
We've seen examples of things like Insomniac and FUSE where the original vision gets muffled by those bankrolling it because x feature is the hotness right now.
onemanasylum
Banned
Business can be very cruel, that's reality.
Uno Venova
Banned
Milestone manipulation to cancel the product. So kind of being dicks, yes.
CrimsonEclipse
Member
To be fair, there have been plenty of games that have gone the same way in this industry shown off then you don't hear about it in a while then poof, there it is again. This is not first time something like this will happen and it won't be the last.
It wasn't, actually there was more negatives around the game than positive ramblings. Even some very own xbox owners doubted the game, I think people are maybe more concerned in what shape this is going to leave PG in then anything else or to shit on MS or w/e it is. Maybe a bit of both? Either way, we may never know...
Papacheeks
Banned
I think some of that especially when seeing stock issues in other regions is a contributing factor in sales with online retailers. Look at PSVR, they have sold, but also have stock issues still.
MilkyJoe
Member
Then why even fund it and dump millions into the project in the first place? Just to back out and fuck them over on a potentially great game, lol? I don't buy that. Even Eurogamer said that Platinum were missing deadlines, etc. Not to mention the rough as hell footage we have all seen. The game was a mess that was no longer worth the investment... period.
I don't have any numbers to back it up, and if someone did then I would cede the point to them. But given the frequency of posters who say they bought a Xbox One in large part because of Scalebound, or bought a Wii U in large part because of Bayo2 / W101, I don't think it's an unreasonable theory.
Nintendo's the one who knows the economics and numbers, given that they already tested the theory with the Wii U. So yeah, I guess I shouldn't have said "well known", but it's a reasonable theory and I wouldn't be surprised if Nintendo pursues that strategy again.
Incompetent, YES. Evil that's up for debate.
On a serious note though that's not what was said at all. Creative differences created a divide. If MS new plan of action is to be believed and they want games as a service it's not a stretch to say PG was asked to add things they didn't have any plans to add. When those requests couldn't be met they cut them. Is it really hard to believe MS pushed their weight around when there's prior proof by others in the industry?
I have to say it is PG fault for getting themselves into a shitty contract. At the same time those deadlines and the state of the game could very well have been caused by the addition of features that PG had no intention of adding but we're asked to. More work in the same amount of time always leads to one thing and that's what we see. So yes everything being said by those close to the project can explain what we saw.
GodfatherX
Member
It's kinda odd seeing the reaction in this thread because the general feeling about this game was always that it looks ok but platinum games is awesome so this should be good. Then every time since it was initially shown it seems to always disappoint the mass majority of people. Very similar to Recore but maybe just a tad stronger due to it being a platinum games title.
Seems like Microsoft made the smart but difficult choice. We will likely never see how/if it improved from its showings but looking at platinum games it's clear they split resources to a premier team and a sub par team, and looking at the games they were working in this did not seem to be getting premier resources poured into it. I know the teams fluctuate, I'm more talking staff allocation and budget per project
Seems like Microsoft made the smart but difficult choice. We will likely never see how/if it improved from its showings but looking at platinum games it's clear they split resources to a premier team and a sub par team, and looking at the games they were working in this did not seem to be getting premier resources poured into it. I know the teams fluctuate, I'm more talking staff allocation and budget per project
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