By Chris Scullion

Copyright videogameschronicle

Former PlatinumGames lead Hideki Kamiya says he believes development on the canceled Xbox game Scalebound could have gone differently if the studio had been working with a Japanese publisher, due to perceived cultural differences in how they view game creation.

In a new interview with VGC, Kamiya – who is now working on a sequel to Okami with his new studio, Clovers Inc – said he thinks Japanese publishers are more open to studios introducing new gameplay ideas, whereas Western publishers are more comfortable approving tried-and-tested ideas that have already been successful in other games.

This cultural difference presented a challenge when trying to come up with an entirely new IP in Scalebound, he suggested.

“Speaking from a creative perspective, I’ve worked with Sega, Capcom, and Nintendo,” Kamiya told VGC. “And during my time at PlatinumGames, I also collaborated with Japanese publishers like Konami and Koei Tecmo, as well as overseas publishers such as Microsoft, Tencent, and Activision. What it feels like when working with Japanese publishers is that the development culture feels closer to mind, and they tend to be more understanding toward creators.

“I think of game development as a kind of invention. For example, in Bayonetta we had Witch Time, in The Wonderful 101 we had Unite Morphs, and with Okami it was the Celestial Brush. My goal is always to build in a unique mechanic that only that game can have.

“On the Japanese side, my impression is that they see you’re trying to make a new invention. They understand the struggle of trying to give birth to something new, and they watch over the process with patience. That’s where I see there’s a difference with publishers.

“For foreign companies, if you’re trying to invent something new, because the shape of it isn’t clear yet, there tends to be pressure, like ‘show us something that’s taken shape more’. And if you look at the games themselves, like how first-person shooters were the popular thing for a while, I get the impression that they feel a sense of safety following an established format.”

Giving Scalebound as an example, Kamiya said the game was going to involve having the player control both a human and a dragon, but because “there was no clear reference or format for us to follow” for such a game, he feels “it was easy for some to have doubts”.

Asked whether Scalebound’s development would have therefore gone differently under a Japanese publisher, Kamiya told VGC he thinks it would have, stressing that while that doesn’t mean it would have definitely been released under a Japanese publisher, the studio might have been given more freedom to experiment with new ideas.

“I do think it would’ve been different,” he said. “I don’t mean that if it had been a Japanese publisher, the game would necessarily have been completed and released, but I imagine the process itself would have played out differently.

“Japanese companies tend to be more open to new challenges, and I think the conversations would have been more positive, like, ‘Okay, so how should we approach this together?’ For me personally, overseas publishers seem to have a much stronger desire to see a finished product as quickly as possible. If it had been a Japanese publisher, I feel they might have given us more leeway.

“We’re talking about this specific title as an example, however, I don’t want there to be any misunderstanding – the failure of Scalebound was ultimately the responsibility of PlatinumGames, myself as director included. But because I have now experienced working with overseas publishers, I feel that if the opportunity ever comes again, we’ll find a way to take advantage of both sides’ strengths.”

Earlier this year Kamiya posted on X that he would still like to make Scalebound one day, writing: “Let’s do it, Phil!”, aimed at Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer.

Last year, Spencer was asked by Japanese publication Game Watch if a revived Scalebound was possible, but he reportedly said with a smile that “there’s currently nothing to say about Scalebound”.