Scalebound trailers are being snuffed out online

Bound, gagged, and thrown in the river

Whether or not Scalebound looked like your cup of tea, Microsoft wasn’t gelling with the project. There is a lot of speculation on the why, but the game has been officially cancelled, so any potential fans are left in the cold. At least they can relive the memories of E3 presentations and hype reels on YouTube. Well, any YouTube account that isn’t Microsoft’s.

A quick look on YouTube reveals that Microsoft has set all trailers for Scalebound to private, effectively erasing the game from the public eye. Polygon has managed to preserve the old trailers on its site, thankfully. I don’t agree with Microsoft’s behavior in this matter. This kind of stunt reminds me of a high school student after their first break up; you feel like deleting the memories will make the pain go away.

I also have a fondness for looking back on cancelled projects and imagining a what-if scenario. What if Resident Evil 4 stayed in the older, more classic style? What if Zelda went the route of that 2001 Spaceworld demo instead of Wind Waker? There are valuable lessons to be learned from older titles, even if their treasures aren’t readily apparent.

This could be a simple mistake on the part of Microsoft’s YouTube account, but I’m guessing the full story of Scalebound‘s unfortunate fate will never be known. Much like how Konami and Kojima butted heads and parted ways with barely a trace to be found, it seems Platinum and Microsoft are going to be tight-lipped on the matter.

Scalebound trailers disappear from YouTube following cancellation [Polygon]