Between Microsoft cancelling Platinum Games’ Scalebound, rumours of the publisher setting difficult milestones for the studio and many pointing out the number of titles that were just outright cancelled by the House of Xbox, things are looking rather dicey for Phil Spencer and his crew.
And apparently Crackdown 3, an Xbox One/PC title that’s seen delays and lack of information, is also floundering. Industry insider shinobi602 addressed Scalebound’s cancellation on NeoGAF, noting how, “It’s a big blow to the Xbox line up. Honestly there’s a serious lack of single player story driven games. Well, exclusive ones at least.
“Everything is literally MP focused. Forza 7, State of Decay, Sea of Thieves, Crackdown…(and I’ve heard Crackdown isn’t going too hot either, though nothing as bad as this).”
While this doesn’t mean Crackdown 3 is being cancelled – and despite shinobi602’s reliability as an insider, it’s important to take everything with a grain of salt – the state of exclusives under Spencer’s leadership is certainly concerning.
This is especially so when the insider noted that, “Their major first party IP are on a decline with Halo doing less than before and Gears 4 not selling that well at all relatively speaking (not good enough to sustain a huge studio with that many workers and budget).”
What are your thoughts on the whole boondoggle with Scalebound and Microsoft as a whole? Let us know in the comments.