Xbox One exclusive 'Scalebound' officially cancelled

In a statement provided by a Microsoft representative to IGN, they said that after careful deliberation, Microsoft Studios has come to the decision to end production for Scalebound. They also added that they're working really hard to deliver an amazing lineup of games to the fans this year - including Halo Wars 2, Crackdown 3, State of Decay 2, Sea of Thieves and other great experiences.

When asked if the Scalebound IP (intellectual property) is owned by Microsoft or by the game developer Platinum, a Microsoft spokesperson simply said "we do not comment on the details of our business agreements with partners," and provided no additional comment when asked if Microsoft will seek to work more separate projects with Platinum in the near future.

Check the video below to see what Scalebound would have looked like. This video was released during its gameplay showcase at E3 2016.

EuroGamer has reported that the studio actually stopped working on the game towards the end of 2016, and that both Microsoft and Platinum have since parted ways.

A number of senior developers were forced to take a month away from the pressure of the project's workload. Coupled with other issues affecting its game engine technology, this put the game behind schedule and eventually led to Microsoft's decision to cancel the Xbox One exclusive.

Hideki Kamiya, well-respected director of the games Bayonetta and Devil May Cry, repeatedly called it a passion project, since it was the result of multiple cancelled prototypes.

The lack of enthusiasm of fans may have also played a great role to the cancellation of the game. The footage shown at yearly events, in which the most recent was at last year's E3, was usually met with tepid response, generating more negative buzz than positive ones. The game too was repeatedly delayed, and was supposed to release sometime this year.

Microsoft is bound to share more on Scalebound soon.