Bayonetta 3 Might Have Borrowed A Mechanic From Platinum’s Cancelled Xbox Exclusive Scalebound

The Bayonetta 3 Nintendo Direct trailer began like a scene out of Astral Chain and ended up looking more like something from PlatinumGames’ cancelled action-RPG Xbox project, Scalebound.

Why, though? As highlighted by former Scalebound creative producer, JP Kellams on Twitter – it’s quite possibly because Bayonetta 3’s director, Yusuke Miyata, was the lead designer of the axed Xbox exclusive.

He goes on to note how a move allowing summons to be controlled also looked “very similar to a mechanic” that Miyata and his team had been working on in Scalebound.

If Yusuke Miyata’s involvement isn’t already enough to convince you that some inspiration might have been drawn from his cancelled project, some fan theories have now taken it a step further.

At the very end of the latest Bayonetta 3 trailer there’s a mysterious figure, and well…there seems to be a theory doing the rounds on social media that this character might actually be Drew – the guy who was going to be the protagonist in Scalebound.

Keep in mind, this is all just speculation for now, but it would be rather interesting if PlatinumGames decided to resurrect the cancelled Xbox project via a Nintendo Switch exclusive. In fact, there was a rumour back in 2019, that even suggested something similar.

The last time we heard about the future of the Scalebound IP was in 2020 when Platinum told fans to “send a letter” to Xbox’s head, Phil Spencer, if they wanted to see it revived.

What do you make of all this? Do you think Scalebound’s universe could potentially resurface in some way or form within Bayonetta 3? Is the third entry simply drawing some creative inspiration from the past Platinum project that was cancelled? Share your own thoughts and theories down below.