270°

Xbox One Exclusive Scalebound Will Have "Broader Appeal"

Bayonetta and Metal Gear Rising: Revengance developer Platinum Games' upcoming Xbox One exclusive, Scalebound, is a "gift" for Microsoft, marketing executive Aaron Greenberg says in a new interview. When asked if Microsoft might be challenged to the market the game widely, considering it's from a Japanese developer that people may not be familiar with, Greenberg said it's actually an opportunity.

"It's another gift for us," he told DualShockers. "If you think about what [game director Hideki Kamiya] has created, and his history of just creating incredibly unique games, that are such high quality and that are loved by core gamers… To be able to have him making a new IP exclusive for us and a big title, I think it's something we're really excited about."

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gamespot.com
Sonyslave33083d ago

I been saying this since day one about ScaleBound it a Jrpg with a Fable appeal I can see it selling 2 or 3mil.

GrubsterBeater3083d ago (Edited 3083d ago )

If that many people don't buy XBox's biggest games, or any XBox One exclusives, I don't see Scalebound being the highest selling game on the XBox One.

Plus, this is what XBox fans would call a "niche title".

Concertoine3083d ago

I love how everyone just generalizes a variety of opinions into the opinion they want to see and then call it "_______ fans" as if a pool of N4G fools represents any kind of majority.

poppinslops3083d ago

Most of my 20-something XO games are either full or console-exclusive titles - how many PS4 owners can say the same thing?

And how is an open-world RPG with dragons 'niche'? Skyrim wasn't niche.

Abracadabra3083d ago

Remember that we only get (occasional) physical number sales... nobody knows what are the digital number sales of console games.

Take the example of the sales season Microsoft are doing December 22, 2015 – January 7, 2016. Don't you think there will be a crap load of digital sales during that time.

Claiming that people don't buy Xbox's biggest games without real numbers or facts is presumptuous.

GrubsterBeater3083d ago

@ all of the above

Apparently you all didn't understand. This is a JRPG game, which MOST XBox fans would call a "niche title". The same fans that say these type of titles are niche and don't count as games that entice a broader audience, but now that this "niche" style game is on XBox, it's not niche, and it appeal to a broader audience, and will sell gang-busters.

I'm not saying all XBox fans are like that, but the majority are.

This is not your average XBox game, and more close to a "niche JRPG", that won't sell boatloads. At least that's what is said about all PS4 JRPG's...

guyman3083d ago (Edited 3083d ago )

Poppinslops

Lol. There are far more console exclusives, and outright exclusives than the xbox one. You're lying to yourself if you think otherwise. People forget about games that come from japan such as Yakuza and guilty gear. Like it or not, there are more exclusives on the ps4.

remixx1163083d ago

@Grubster

Gotta give it up to you my dude, you are mad right.

If you bring up any jrpg on ps4 in a discussion with an Xbox fan, 90% of the time they will call it "niche" and throw the word around as an insult or something........at least from my experience.

I've had an Xbox fan tell me "that stuffs for weeboos".....

Eve n had one tell ni no kuni wasn't AAA, though the respective budget, production value, amount of content and musical score was all that of a AAA and in some instances surpassed it.

But all of a sudden scalebound is this huge Xbox AAA game which they will get offended if it is called "niche"
......lol as if it burns.

There's nothing wrong with a game being niche, it doesn't equate to a bad game, all it means is that its not mainstream.........mainstream doesn't immediately equal an amazing game. Look at yearly shell out of COD, assassins creed, madden and so on........

GrubsterBeater3083d ago (Edited 3083d ago )

@Remix

Thank you! That is exactly my point. Somebody gets it!

There is nothing wrong with small titles or niche titles or even indie titles on PS4 or XBox One, and it's nice to see XBox finally try something new for a change. It's a shame that it will (most likely) not sell that much, due to the game not being something that fits the mold of your average XBox player.

Concertoine3083d ago (Edited 3083d ago )

To be fair, the xbox platforms have zero presence in Japan, and that's where a lot of those sales come from.

You say "a majority of xbox fans", but JRPGs dont sell to a majority of "Playstation fans" either, assuming you are talking about general consumers (since identification of a fan is totally indeterminable otherwise). I believe FF XIII was the best selling JRPG of last gen, and it sold to 1/16 of PS3 owners.

So what constitutes and how big is this "majority"? Where do we stop counting consumers as fans? This is all stuff you cannot answer, but people will continue to say this puzzling and vacuous statement.

"At least that's what is said about all PS4 JRPG's..."

There you go, generalizing based on N4G trolls. You let them get to you enough to assume so much about so many people?

GrubsterBeater3083d ago (Edited 3083d ago )

@Concertoine

Just stop.

Everyone knows I'm right, so quit the "stop generalizing us". You may not fall into said category of XBox fans, so congratulations on being the 1%, but the other 99% are the majority.

Also, you couldn't pay me to play FFXIII, true Final Fantasy fans (majority is on PS), would never praise FFXIII, let alone spend money on that piece of trash. More XBox owners bought it because it appeals more to the XBox fanbase, because it's more of a mindless action game than a real FF game.

Also, using the "XBox has no presence in Japan" excuse, is no good reason as to why XBox owners don't support their own games, even if they are closer to a JRPG style. (Mark my words, when Scalebound doesn't sell well, that is going to be the damage control excuse used).

I don't let trolls get to me either. I'm not a little girl who calls the emotion police because someone hurt my little feelers. I just observe the MAJORITY of XBox fans, and draw obvious conclusions based on the attitudes and comments towards "niche", indy, or JRPG games.

AngelicIceDiamond3083d ago

The games very much a niche title. Something the Xbox definitely needs. Which is diversity, not every game needs to be "shoot first ask questions later" AAA. And I'm glad Phil Spencer understands this. I like the fact Phil Spencer is letting the GAMER in him taking over the Xbox One. Again, glad MS is realizing they need to branch out and experiment.

Tobsesan3082d ago

@GrubsterBeater

The reason why so many people call PS4 JRPGS niche is because they are REALLY niche. Scalebound and recore are made with a western appeal by a well known def together with MS. On the other side you get games like Dengeki Bunko: Fighting Climax Ignition, Fairy Fencer F: Advent Dark Force, Gundam G Generation Genesis, Nobunaga’s Ambition, Valkyria: Azure Revolution, Yakuza: Kiwami, Ys VIII, Earth Defense Force 4.1.

Those are niche games you guys claim as AAA games, they are an insult for AAA games.

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3083d ago Replies(7)
FlipSwitch3083d ago

We'll see. Personally I think this will only sell a few hundred thousand

die_fiend3083d ago

It won't have a broader appeal if it's on the console with the fewest sales and least Japanese influence

xasz3083d ago (Edited 3083d ago )

So Xbox should have NO games then?

"Broader appeal" means targeted towards various audiences.

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FallenAngel19843083d ago

Seeing that this is a Japanese RPG developed by Platinum Games and looking at how past JRPGs and games developed by Platinum Games sold on Xbox consoles, I see this game unfortunately flopping in sales seeing it's both.

d_g3083d ago (Edited 3083d ago )

you really want this game to flop don’t you ?

i see you saying the same thing in every Scalebound article

on topic

Scalebound looks very promising...can’t wait to play this game

nix3083d ago (Edited 3083d ago )

dg,

He doesn't want it to flop but it's going to because xbox gamers don't buy such games. Tomb Raiders didn't sell enough. How is Scalebound - the niche "Japanese" game - going to survive?

And those talking about digital sales constantly.. It goes same for the other games and consoles too. 95% of my games on PS4 are digital. I think we can add 20% to the total sales as digital unless the game is only digital.

All in all, i would like to see games like Scalebound and Quantum Break sell in large numbers.

WiiU-Dude3083d ago

@RAINSLACKER: I think every thing you said was the likely close to verbatim what I would say. Platinum Games is almost always a critical darling whose games almost never sell as well as they should. Actually, I don't know is ANY Platinum Games made game that has sold multi million units. You would have to return to Capcom for that. However, I don't know that Nintendo with Bayonetta, nor Microsoft with a fresh new IP in Scalebound actually care about the final numbers. Nintendo saw a great opportunity to gain a known property that gained a cult following and was about to whither in the vine, likely scratching their collective head wondering why Sony or Microsoft didn't jump on the opportunity and said, heck lets snag that. It sold marginally well when you take into account the small user base as well as being you have to almost half the user base because it being a mature title on a family friendly system. They wanted the quality, critical acclaim for a title on Wii U and publicity. The Wonderful 101 was a great new IP, but that's what new IP on an underselling system brings - obscurity and low sales. Microsoft needs both new IP and a dev with an incredibly solid track record. I almost guarantee they aren't fretting over sales. The same for Rise of the Tomb Raider.
Let me add, When people scoff at Microsoft and laugh at sales...um, Microsoft could buy and sell Sony and Nintendo together many times and as a company barely feel it. So don't worry about Microsoft.
@d_g- just because you are excited for a title and can't wait to play it doesn't mean it's going to sell well. I will be all over Scalebound. I'm betting Rainslacker will too and many more commenting here...the thing is, these people represent more of the hardcore. Will the slightly less dedicated buy it and then will the masses. Doubtful, but who knows. Rainslacker was saying and I agree, history gives us a glimpse that says it's not going to do gangbusters, but here's hoping it sells solid. Now having said that, great selling IPs have to start somewhere maybe this is the one? We all hope so.

remixx1163083d ago

@WiiU_Dude

Pretty well said for the mast of you comment, scalebound does look mad unique MS tryna diversify their properties which is great.

PS break that post up into subsequent paragraphs big homie, lol I got lost twice.

Don't do it like edmix though where every sentence gets its own line and space.

ScorpiusX3083d ago

Scary thing all of these commenters think their negativity is going to change the status of this game being exclusive . With sale this or JRPG that . very funny

TheDivine3083d ago

Reminds me of Xenoblade X mixed with Devil May Cry. That's a very good mix. Hopefully its heavy on the rpg and not just an action game. Either way day 1.

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DeadlyOreo3083d ago

It's sad, because this game looks fantastic. Why develop it on for the Xbox when it clearly isn't going to sell well at all. I really wish Xbox users would support their software a little more instead of letting great games go to die, most exclusives barely break a million.

I know I'll probably get hated for this, but if this game was on PS4 you could expect huge sales. Xbox users just don't buy these games.

Godmars2903083d ago

Because MS commissioned it? They made some assurance to Platinum which otherwise caused the game to be made?

For me, as a Panzer Dragoon fan, I'd rather see a Saga 2 than what this comes off as. The co-op is a more than bit of a turn off and i'm not seeing how this is an RPG much less a JRPG.

Need to what the flying sections look like/play out.

xasz3083d ago

"Why develop it on for the Xbox when it clearly isn't going to sell well at all."

Because MS owns the IP, is publishing the game, and is fully funding the game's development.

What proof is there that this game is going to "die"?

If they market it well enough and don't pit it against other big releases, it should do fine.

Personally, I'm looking forward to the game.

Hercules1893083d ago

There's plenty of fails on PS4 also. We could also say that if Killzone were on Xbox it would be a much more successful IP than it is that might even be second to Halo.

spicelicka3083d ago (Edited 3083d ago )

Wtff what a horrible comment. People buy what they want, you can't ask millions of people to just "support your software".

Like you want us to go buy 2 copies each? I don't understand the point of this request.

Youngindy213083d ago

How about them Tearaway Unfolded sales? What's that? Crickets........ Game released in September and some estimates have it not even selling 100 thousand copies yet.

So yeah. It's not just Xbox exclusives that struggle.

DeadlyOreo3083d ago (Edited 3083d ago )

You don't need proof to know it's going to die, it's just common sense based on the past. If one of the biggest AAA franchises like Tomb Raider doesn't even sell on the Xbox this sure won't, and that's a real shame.

@Hercules

Killzone may or may not have sold better on Xbox One, but the sales on PS4 were hardly disappointing, I remember it selling way past expectations.

@youngindy

Don't take this the wrong way but that is a horrible comparison.

1) Tearaway Unfolded is a remaster of a game that was hugely popular and successful

2) Even at 100,000 copies it definitely made some profit back, it's a remaster and they can be very cost effective

@ spicelicka

I think you're missing the point, and no it's not a horrible comment is it. I'm saying for the install base, more Xbox One users should be buying some of these good AAA exclusives and it'll support developers for future games. Why would you buy 2 copies each? What a silly thing to say.

The truth is, fantastic exclusive games that the Xbox One have, such as Sunset Overdrive, Forza, Fable, Tomb Raider sell very disappointingly, with each not even selling a million. Heck even Halo 5 has only topped 2 million which is astounding.

As a gamer I really want Scalebound to sell well, because it looks really good, and deserves to.

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Barnaby-Jones3083d ago

Can't wait to see how the co-op gameplay looks. I'm betting this game will be very awesome and a lot of fun. Highly anticipating this!

DevilOgreFish3083d ago (Edited 3083d ago )

People don't have much to judge about this game, except for the pre-alpha footage which is half a year old now. with it's RPG elements and traversal scale, i'm sure they aim to be going places. especially with those dragons. I'm expecting to see massive scale environments.

TheColbertinator3083d ago

It will be a good game. No doubt on my end.

Show all comments (74)
150°

10 Biggest Xbox Mistakes of All Time (So Far)

The Xbox brand has done a lot of good over the years, but their various blunders are pretty wild to look back on in their magnitude.

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culturedvultures.com
piroh4d ago (Edited 4d ago )

Ironically number 9 can save them at this point (releasing games on multiple platforms)

ChasterMies2d ago

By “save them” you mean make more profit for Microsoft. Xbox will still be a dying hardware platform.

OtterX3d ago

You could add the naming scheme for the consoles, it just confuses customers. I know they wanted to avoid traditional numbering bc it would always be lower than their competitor, but this whole 360 then One then Series thing is confusing af. Imagine a Soccer Mom trying to figure this stuff out. I still mistakenly call the Series X the One from time to time on accident.

RNTody3d ago

Don't forget about the Xbox One, Xbox One X and Xbox Series X! Good luck to Soccer moms around the world.

S2Killinit2d ago (Edited 2d ago )

They did that on purpose to confuse and direct attention away from the generational numbering.

MS doesn’t like reminding people that they joined the industry after others had already been involved in gaming.

For instance, they called the xbox “360” to combat PlayStation “3” because they wanted to seem like “more” than “3”, so instead of xbox 2, they opted for xbox 360. Also this had the additional benefit of selling consoles to uninformed parents who might purchase a “360” instead of a “3” by mistake, or because they thought 360 was more than 3. Kind of a disingenuous move.

They have been continuing with their confusing naming patterns for pretty much the same reasons. Frankly, it fits with who and what they are as a brand.

FinalFantasyFanatic2d ago

I can understand their reasoning, but whoever came up with that naming scheme should be fired, bad naming schemes have killed consoles (I'm pretty sure it was the major reason for the downfall of the WiiU). They should have had unqiue names like Nintendo and Sega have had for their consoles, far less confusing for the consumer.

Cacabunga3d ago (Edited 3d ago )

Phil Spencer is the worst that has happened to Xbox.
They built a respectable brand up to Xbox one. Then this guy took over and things became a joke

Reaper22_3d ago

He still has his job. Something you can't say about Jim Ryan.

Cacabunga3d ago

Both bad execs. One is on job and one thankfully retired.

FinalFantasyFanatic2d ago (Edited 2d ago )

I didn't like either person, both people damaged their respective brands and produced worse outcomes, but Phil did save the Xbox brand from being retired by Microsoft. Although in hindsight, he should have just let it die, rather than languish in limbo like it is now.

Rainbowcookie1d 17h ago

Yeah but the one that was "bad" didn't even affect sales.

bunt-custardly3d ago

Phil Spencer was also on the team back when 360 was around, alongside Shane Kim, Peter Moore etc. I think the damage that did the most harm was the Don Mattrick "Always Online" console (ahead of its time basically). They handed Sony and Nintendo a free-pass when that was revealed. It went downhill from there. Then the corporate machine went into full swing to try and recover. They have to a degree as a games company for the masses, and less so for the core gamer. Outside USA, the Xbox brand does not sell as well as Japanese based consoles (citation needed).

Cacabunga3d ago

Want a decision maker. The always online and TV plans was a disaster yes, but they caught up by announcing 1st party games that gamers actually kept the hype going.. until this moron took over and introduced the PC day one release.. e all know where that ended..

S2Killinit2d ago

I dont think they were ever a respectable brand, not since the beginning, when their goal was never to be involved and share in the gaming space. I think the OG xbox was an exception because MS as a brand was still getting its foot in and so the people behind that were people of the gaming industry.

FinalFantasyFanatic2d ago

The 360 was the brand in its prime though, everything went downhill towards the end of that generation. Its staple games like Halo, Forza and Gears are what kept the console relevant and afloat for so long.

MaximusPrime_3d ago

Really good video.

I remember the days with RRoD was big news on here, N4G.

Microsoft had it turbulence number of years.

Looking at the success of Sea of Thieves despite being 6 years old, time to release Halo, Forza horizon 4 & 5 on PS5. It'll help their revenue

shinoff21833d ago (Edited 3d ago )

2 of the 4 games they did already sold really well. So it's definitely going down. Idk about halo or forza but I feel those studios they've bought in the last 5 years, their coming

ChasterMies3d ago

I found this video painful to watch. Can someone list them out?

Top 10 for me from are:
1. 2013 reveal presentation
2. Bundling Kinect 2 with Xbox One
3. RRoD or why rushing to market with hardware is always a bad idea.
4. Buying studios only to close them.
5. Ads on the Home Screen
6. Letting Halo die.
7. Letting Geard of War die.
8. Every console name
9. Charging for Xbox Live on Xbox 360 when Sony let PS3 players play online for free.
10. Cancelling release of OG Xbox games after the Xbox 360 launched.

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150°

Microsoft to Add Copilot AI to Video Games

Microsoft recently revealed its plans to incorporate Copilot directly into video games, with Minecraft being the first showcased example.

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xpgained.co.uk
Fishy Fingers7d ago (Edited 7d ago )

F*** AI

"Hey Copilot, what's a good meme to prove I dislike AI".... https://giphy.com/clips/sou...

Einhander19727d ago

Two trillion dollar company that just can't wait to put as many people possible out of work as fast as possible.

It feels like every single thing they do is making gaming worse and destroying the industry.

7d ago
7d ago
7d ago
darthv727d ago

....you know it takes people to program the AI.... right? It isnt like it is sentient. We haven't reach skynet level of situation or anywhere close to the matrix just yet.

That's next Thursday.

Einhander19726d ago (Edited 6d ago )

It takes a people to program the AI then that AI is used for who knows how many games eliminating countless jobs which only grows as AI is used for more and more game creation functions.

What you're saying is so ridiculously short sighted and truly larking any kind of understanding and foresight.

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CaptainFaisal7d ago

Why all the hate? Im actually excited about this! Always wanted this kind of immersion, and an AI companion with me all the time helping me out knowing the status of my skills/inventory/progress and giving me tips on the best approach or how to craft something specific is game changing for the industry.

Hate all you want about AI, but this is just the start and I can see the potential already. You wont be complaining in the next 5-10 years about this, but rather complain if a game hasn’t implemented it.

MrDead7d ago

Yes we can't wait for the work of others to be used without the need to pay them so that MS can profit even more from the people they fire.

I_am_Batman7d ago (Edited 7d ago )

There is no chance I'd ever use something like this, especially if it's not part of the core game design, but a layer on top of it. It's way too much handholding. Many games already feel like busy work, because they don't let the player figure things out on their own. Having a real-time interactive guide defeats the purpose of playing the game in the first place in my opinion.

If this were to become the standard like you predict, we'll see more and more video games get away with bad design, because people will just be used to ask for help from the AI companion anyway.

Number1TailzFan7d ago

Well Nintendo don't need this with some of their games these days, with invincible characters, items, easy bosses etc.. they do the hand holding built in

helicoptergirl7d ago

Takes "hand holding" in games to a whole new level.

BlackDoomAx6d ago

Because human nature xD Almost every new technology had these kind of comments.

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70°

Activision team is opening a new game studio in Poland 'Elsewhere Entertainment' to build new AAA IP

Microsoft's Activision subsidiary announced today that it is opening a new game development studio to take advantage of the huge talent pool growing in Poland. It'll be the second Activision studio based in the region, joining Infinity Ward Krakow, although this studio is, in fact, not working on Call of Duty.

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windowscentral.com
Psychonaut8511d ago

They’re not working on Call of Duty? Give it time.