Hideki Kamiya, the director known for Ōkami, Bayonetta, Devil May Cry, and Resident Evil 2, recently addressed the long-canceled PlatinumGames title Scalebound in an interview with VGC. Asked whether he'd spoken with Xbox CEO Asha Sharma about reviving the game, Kamiya said he hadn't, but used the moment to make an open appeal: "Well, no, but now's my opportunity to once again say that if they want to do it, let's make it happen!" He added that former PlatinumGames colleague Koyama would also be on board, and suggested VGC include Scalebound footage in its article "for Asha."
Kamiya said he remains genuinely invested in seeing the project completed, calling its cancellation "very unfortunate" and stating he is "being 100% serious" about wanting to revisit it. He acknowledged that his current studio, Clovers, founded in 2023 and staffed with several PlatinumGames alumni, is currently focused on developing Ōkami 2 with Capcom and "might not be in a position" to take on Scalebound immediately. Still, he expressed optimism, noting that Ōkami 2 itself came together after years of hope, and said he believes wanting something badly enough eventually makes it happen.
Scalebound was originally announced in 2014 as an Xbox One exclusive, developed by PlatinumGames and published by Microsoft Studios, before being canceled in 2017 after roughly four years of development. PlatinumGames CEO Atsushi Inaba has previously said both Microsoft and PlatinumGames shared responsibility for the project's demise, and noted in 2023 that it wasn't easy watching fans direct anger solely at Microsoft over the cancellation.
Separately, Kamiya has been embroiled in a dispute on X (formerly Twitter) with users who claim he diverted funds from Scalebound's development budget to help finance Bayonetta 2, which was published by Nintendo. There is no confirmed information about how much Scalebound cost to develop, and neither Microsoft nor PlatinumGames has suggested that funds were misused. Kamiya has responded to the allegations with threats of legal action, telling one user he would "sue those shitty bugs spreading this kind of fake news for defamation," and asking another, "Should I sue you for defamation too?" The origins of the funding rumor remain unclear.