For anyone who felt they were missing dragons from their lives and were heartbroken by Microsoft’s decision to cancel PlatinumGames’ lizard-centric action RPG Scalebound may have something to look forward to, if a new rumor is to be believed. According to NintendoLife, Scalebound may be resurfacing as a Nintendo Switch exclusive.
This may come as a bit of a shock, as Microsoft filed trademarks to renew the rights for Scalebound in 2017; it had to give up on the filing because they couldn’t state what the trademark would be used for. Along with this, Alanah Pierce, former IGN editor, said in a Tweet recently that she had been told by someone she considers a “fairly credible source” back in 2018 about the revival of Scalebound— but not as an Xbox One exclusive, as was previously thought. She apparently didn’t believe them at the time, but now is not so sure. Whether the rights are still held by Microsoft or have gone to PlatinumGames is not reported, but one would think the only way the rumor would be true is if the latter is the case. However, when putting it into the context of Microsoft and Nintendo getting closer over the last year or so (with cross-play etc.) it isn’t unthinkable for Microsoft to still own the rights.
One would also have to take into account the power differential between the two consoles, and how they would manage shifting it over. The source states that it is “unclear to [the source] whether development has been completely rebooted or… its ambition scaled back.” Game Informer senior editor Imran Khan stated on Kinda Funny Games last week that he believes this is the “game that’s thought to be dead that Nintendo’s reviving,” though there is no confirmation or proof that that is the case. NintendoLife goes on to say that when discussing collaborative efforts between PlatinumGames and Nintendo, the publisher expressed interest in the developer’s formerly-cancelled game. When considering what PlatinumGames said about Bayonetta 2, mainly that “it would not have existed without Nintendo’s support,” it appears Nintendo is in pretty good standing with both PlatinumGames (who are currently working on Bayonetta 3 and Astral Chain) and Microsoft, lending at least some credence to the possibility of Scalebound‘s appearance on Nintendo Switch.
It will be interesting to see whether this rumor pans out, as most people gave up Scalebound as a lost cause. If it is true, those who have already cut their teeth on the Spyro: Reignited trilogy and are yearning for more of the popular fire-breathing beasts will hopefully have something to look forward to on the Nintendo Switch.
Are you excited about the rumor? Do you think it could happen? Let us know in the comments!
Sources: NintendoLife, GameRant, GamesRadar
