Xbox One Exclusive Scalebound Won’t Be Influenced by the West; No More Crackdown News this Year (UPDATED)

Xbox One Exclusive Scalebound Won’t Be Influenced by the West; No More Crackdown News this Year (UPDATED)

Giuseppe Nelva August 21, 2014 11:38 AM EST

The Xbox One has launched only in the west for now, and while Microsoft is investing heavily in carving a niche for it in the Japanese market, it’s hard to foresee tremendous success in the region.

Yet Platinum Games is going to release Scalebound, and it’s going to be a Xbox One exclusive, which has fans wondering if Hideki Kamiya and his team will be forced to adapt their design decisions and philosophy to the console’s mainly western audience. Today Kamiya-san gave an answer to that question on Twitter, curt and clear cut as usual:

No.

Microsoft’s head of Xbox’s Division Phil Spencer took it upon himself to elaborate a little more, promising that Microsoft isn’t pushing Platinum to change its successful design philosophy:

Not really. @platinumgames have built great games based on their design philosophy, we aren’t trying to modify that.

Speaking of Xbox One exclusives, Spencer also provided an update on Crackdown, and unfortunately it isn’t good news for those that are waiting eagerly for more news on the cloud-powered title:

Probably no Crackdown news for the rest of 2014. Team is making progress but they need time before we show anything again.

After all, games don’t make themselves, and it’s always good to see studios given time to polish their work before public outings. Hopefully we’ll get at least a glimpse on Scalebound in action at Tokyo Game Show.

Personally, it’s one of my most anticipated Xbox One titles, and I’m eager to see more.

Update: Scalebound Creative Producer Jean Pierre Kellams saw fit to elaborate and clarify further on the topic:

First of all – where a piece of hardware sells should never influence game design. Your vision should be stronger than that. Secondly – Will the popularity of hardware in territories influence your design != those territories won’t influence your design. The thing I love most about Platinum is that we make games in Japan, for the world. That means we make what we know and what we love.