Microsoft may revive Scalebound IP, but Bunny Garden 2 fans remain uncertain

Leaker Nate the Hate claims Xbox is about to unveil a surprise: a Microsoft-owned IP, developed externally—not by an in-house studio. It might arrive as soon as 2026. Rumors point to a new Ori game or the resurrected Scalebound—but Microsoft hasn’t confirmed anything. And no, it’s not Banjo.

For many, Scalebound is still a phantom of E3 2017—vanished after its flashy debut, with only scattered demo footage surviving nearly a decade later. Its fusion of Eastern aesthetics and fluid combat won over fans of classics like Chinese Paladin 3 and Meteor Blade, despite never being a Chinese-developed title. Back then, forum threads lit up with comparisons: swordplay as graceful as Chinese Paladin, duels as sharp as Meteor Blade. Now, rumors suggest Microsoft might revive it through a third-party studio.

If real, a proper Scalebound revival would bring back mechanics few games have matched—wall-running, dragon-linked combat, that kinetic Platinum feel. But skepticism is warranted. Microsoft rarely revives dormant, externally developed IPs—and when it does, it treads carefully. Ori still has Moon Studios as its creative anchor; Scalebound’s original team at PlatinumGames disbanded years ago. It’s unclear whether a new team can recapture the wuxia spirit that defined the original vision.

The community is already split. One camp cheers, “Worth the nine-year wait.” The other retorts, “Don’t slap a legacy name on a hollow shell.” Leaked concept art shows the protagonist sprinting through neon-drenched city streets—stripped of any classical flair—raising fears this might be cyberpunk cosplay, not a true revival.

A new Ori game would be welcome. Its ink-wash aesthetic once echoed the hand-painted beauty of titles like Xuan-Yuan Sword. But if it’s Scalebound in name only—losing its martial elegance for empty spectacle—then it’s not a revival. It’s a rebrand. Fans of wuxia storytelling don’t want nostalgia repackaged as DLC. They want the same bold vision that made Scalebound worth remembering—not just the logo.