Summary

In a strange turn of events, Xbox’s canceled gameScaleboundis trending on Twitter, and it’s actually thanks to PlayStation.Scalebound’s complicated historyreceived yet another wrinkle, as the game, which was canceled back in 2017, is now back in conversation. While there have been reports about Xbox and developer Platinum Games discussing potentially reviving the once-promising action RPG,Scalebound’s place in the Trending category has more to do with another canceled game.

In a disappointing bit of news,Naughty Dog announced the cancelation ofThe Last of Us Online, an online multiplayer game set in theLast of Usuniverse. The announcement came as a bit of a shock to fans, as Naughty Dog had been developing the online multiplayer title since long before the release ofThe Last of Us Part 2. That said, outside the fact that bothScaleboundandThe Last of Us Onlineare no longer slated to come out, the games have very little in common. Still, that hasn’t stopped fans from taking to Twitter to compare the two.

Scalebound Tag Page Cover Art

Thanks in large part to the conversation surrounding the cancelation ofThe Last of Us Online,Scaleboundhas been trending on social media. Some fans point out that the reaction to Naughty Dog cancelingThe Last of Us Onlinehas largely been supportive, which starkly contrasts the outrage that was expressed whenScalebound’s development ended. WhenScaleboundwas canceled, the decision was met with criticism, frustration, and confusion among Xbox critics and fans. While plenty of gamers are certainly disappointed with the cancelation ofThe Last of Us Online, the reaction has been quite different given Naughty Dog’s pedigree as well as the developer’s explanation that too many resources would need to be dedicated to the project moving forward.

Some gamers argue that the sentiment regardingThe Last of Us Onlineis a bit hypocritical given the outrage surroundingScalebound, which admittedly has lasted quite a while.Scalebound’s development ended nearly seven years ago, and disgruntled fans still bring it up from time to time. Still, while some want to simplify the debate into a console war conversation, there is a lot more here than PlayStation versus Xbox.

For one, Naughty Dog has created some of the best single-player games of all time. Many considerThe Last of Usto be the game of the previous decade, and despite some controversy, its sequel is also an extremely well-received bestseller. Not to mention, theUnchartedfranchise has provided fans with some of the best cinematic gameplay moments in the history of the medium.

Not to mention, the cancelation ofScaleboundcame at a time when Xbox was criticized for not producing enough quality exclusive games. Between Game Pass andMicrosoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard, the conversation surrounding Xbox is changing, but 2017 was a different time for the brand. It’s not to say that the discourse surroundingThe Last of Us Onlineisn’t without some hypocrisy, but there are plenty of nuances as well.

Scalebound

An action RPG by Platinum Games, Scalebound was in development for the Xbox One and Windows. Announced during E3 2014, Scalebound was expected to launch in 2017. However, the game was canceled in early 2017.