Xbox One Exclusive Scalebound Is Unlike Anything the Bayonetta Studio Has Made Before

Scalebound, the upcoming Xbox One exclusive from Bayonetta and Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance developer Platinum Games, is unlike anything the studio has made before. That's according to director Hideki Kamiya, who says in a new interview that the game aims to "create new gameplay," among other things.

"The one thing that I will say is that up until this point in my career, and up until this point in Platinum Games' history, we've never made a game like Scalebound," Kamiya told IGN. "What I'm trying to do with Scalebound is create a very different kind of game than what I've created up until this point. We're trying to create new gameplay, and that is a challenge for me personally."

Scalebound was announced during Microsoft's E3 press briefing in June as an exclusive game for Xbox One. Releasing for that console, compared to Xbox 360, will no doubt have its benefits in terms of the game's visuals and performance, but Kamiya said, "It's less about new hardware, and more about making something totally new."

Kamiya went on to say that the power of the Xbox One should help Platinum in its effort to make Scalebound a visually stunning game. "We've never tried to do something photo-real or something more realistic with that touch," he said. "But it's always been something I've wanted to try. Now having that opportunity has been both difficult but interesting. And the power of the machine is helping there. It's definitely something Platinum Games has wanted to try, and now we're getting our chance to do it, which is cool."

Regarding Platinum's alignment with Microsoft for Scalebound, creative producer JP Kellams added that it was an "important step" in Platinum's legacy to work with a Western publisher such as Microsoft. He went on to say that Microsoft believes in Platinum's vision for Scalebound, and that the companies have a "really open relationship."

Finally, Platinum and Microsoft working together on Scalebound might mean that gamers get to play the title sooner than expected. "Microsoft is very hands-on and they check everything while you're working together," Kamiya said. "One of the things we've noticed, because they keep you honest, is that we've been making this game faster than we normally would."

Official details for Scalebound are scarce. The only piece of media released to date for the game is the gorgeous CG trailer you see above. In it, we see a sword-wielding player squaring off against various dragons and even fiercer foes. The player is also able to cover his body in scales, in a way becoming dragon-like himself. No release date has been announced for Scalebound, but it's a safe bet we won't see it this year.

Platinum is also currently working on Wii U exclusive Bayonetta 2, as well as a multiplatform Legend of Korra game, based on the Nickelodeon TV show. Both are due this year.

Eddie Makuch is a news editor at GameSpot, and you can follow him on Twitter @EddieMakuch