Hideki Kamiya has threatened legal action against social-media users who accused him of misusing Microsoft’s budget for Scalebound, the cancelled PlatinumGames action RPG. At the same time, the veteran director has again said he would welcome the chance to bring the project back.
Kamiya, whose credits include Resident Evil 2, Ōkami and Bayonetta, discussed the possibility of a revival in a recent VGC interview. Asked whether he had spoken with Xbox CEO Asha Sharma about the game, he said he had not, but used the opportunity to call for its return.
“If they want to do it, let’s make it happen!” Kamiya said, adding that Koyama was also on board. He also suggested including Scalebound footage for Sharma to see.
Scalebound was an action RPG developed by PlatinumGames and planned for publication by Microsoft Studios. Kamiya led the project through its four-year development period before it was cancelled in 2017. He later left PlatinumGames and joined the new studio Clovers in 2023.
There is no confirmed public figure for the game’s development cost. More importantly, neither Microsoft nor PlatinumGames has said that Kamiya diverted the project’s funding for another purpose.
Kamiya responds to the allegations
Despite the lack of supporting evidence, a rumour has circulated among some Xbox fans claiming that Scalebound money was redirected to fund Bayonetta 2. That sequel was published by Nintendo, rather than Microsoft, which makes the allegation particularly difficult to reconcile with the known publishing arrangements.
Kamiya, who regularly engages with users on X, addressed the claims in two posts published on 4 September 2026. In one message, he asked whether he should sue a user for defamation after they alleged he had taken the Scalebound budget to make another game.
“Should I sue you for defamation too…?” Kamiya wrote in a September 4, 2026 post.
In another exchange, responding to a claim that he would “just steal the money to make other products again”, Kamiya said he would sue people spreading what he described as defamatory misinformation. The wording reflects a machine translation from Japanese.
“I’m gonna sue those shitty bugs spreading this kind of fake news for defamation…” Kamiya wrote in a September 4, 2026 post.
What is known about Scalebound’s cancellation?
The online dispute does not change the limited confirmed information surrounding the project’s end. In 2023, PlatinumGames president and CEO Atsushi Inaba said the studio found it difficult to watch fans blame Microsoft for the cancellation, stating that both sides were responsible for the game being abandoned.
That assessment offers a more grounded explanation than the unsupported claim about Bayonetta 2 funding. For readers following the wider games industry, RETROCADE’s Arcade Blog covers gaming news, while our arcade video collection explores the medium’s history and hardware. If this story has you considering a dedicated games setup, the Arcade Machine Buying Guide explains the main options, from full cabinets to compact systems.
The original controversy remains an unusual footnote to Scalebound’s troubled development. Kamiya’s public interest in reviving the game is clear, but there is still no confirmed announcement that production will resume.
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