One of Microsoft’s biggest 2016 exclusives is no longer coming out this year.
Scalebound, the Xbox One game about fighting and dragons and fighting alongside dragons, is now coming out in 2017, according to developer Platinum Games. The studio, which is best known for producing action hits like Bayonetta, says it needs the extra time to successfully deliver on the massive world that it’s aiming for with Scalebound. The company claims this is the biggest game it has ever made — and it’s working on this project while simultaneously producing three other games scheduled to hit this year.
And while the delay may disappoint fans looking forward to the game, the studio assures players that Scalebound is making progress.
“Development on the game is going well, and we’re really happy with how it’s coming together,” reads a Platinum blog post. “Scalebound is one of the biggest games Platinum Games has ever created: an epic adventure filled with exploration and fantasy gameplay, inventive multiplayer, and action-packed battles on an unbelievable scale — all set in a beautiful and evolving world. It’s the game our team has always dreamed of making.”
Scalebound already looks impressive. Microsoft demoed the action-RPG at the Gamescom expo in August 2015; the video showed a main character working with and commanding a giant dragon in combat.
Check it out in action below:
https://youtu.be/W1dYfa3AWtw
“In order to deliver on our ambitious vision and ensure that Scalebound lives up to expectations, we will be launching the game in 2017,” reads the blog. “This will give us the time needed to bring to life all the innovative features and thrilling gameplay experiences that we have planned.”
Microsoft, which is publishing the game, is likely OK with this bump. While Scalebound is a big Xbox One-only game, the console has other significant upcoming releases that can keep gamers busy while Platinum gets Scalebound right. Those include Gears of War 4, Crackdown 3, and Quantum Break. At the same time, Platinum is working on Star Fox Zero and Project Guard for Nintendo, as well as Nier: Automata for Square Enix.
Letting Platinum get some of those projects out of the door and giving it plenty of slack to improve on Scalebound could pay off for Microsoft in the end. After all, we’ve seen with games like Bayonetta 2 that the developer is capable of producing masterpieces.