More Footage of the Cancelled Sonic Extreme Skateboarding Game Emerge (VIDEO)
Sonic the Hedgehog has been around for quite a while. There have been games, TV shows, comic books, and more all about our favorite blue hedgehog and his friends. Sonic’s humble beginnings in gaming started as a side-scrolling platformer but soon expanded into various other spin-offs. Some of these titles saw success and others not so much, there were even quite a few that never even made it out of development. A new video has surfaced shedding a little more light on a cancelled Sonic the Hedgehog skateboarding game called Sonic Extreme.
Back in the 90’s, a set of toys called Tech Decks were all the rage, the rights of which were purchased by Vision Scape – a company that’s brand was firmly rooted in the skateboarding theme. Bare Knuckle Grind was born and reached quite a bit of success, also spawning the idea of toys-to-life games. From this project the team went on to another game based off of Nickelodeon’s rad extreme sports show, Rocket Power. Unfortunately, due to financial issues the game was cancelled. All of these events led up to what became a prototype for Sonic Extreme.
Not only did Vision Scape work with games, but they also did CG animation for multiple titles and studios, including Sonic Heroes. With this in mind they began work on a prototype which would utilize the experience honed from Bare Knuckle Grind and Rocket Power. Enter Sonic Extreme, a hoverboard-based game featuring Sonic and Shadow Sonic. The skate park was inspired by the Green Hill Zone iconic in Sonic the Hedgehog games complete with ramps, rails, and rings.
There were three modes called Misson, Battle, and Race. The Mission game mode was fairly simple, players skated around the level with the goal of collecting an emerald, all the while pulling off tricks and gaining points for each successful one. The other two modes also allowed for multiplayer, with Race being a basic race with classic Sonic boost pads and Battle using weapons scattered throughout the level to fight each other with.
All of this was created without SEGA’s knowledge and when Sonic Extreme was finally introduced with a pitch to Sonic team boss Yuji Naka, it seemed like the project would get the go ahead and Vision Scape was asked to draw up a design document and estimated cost for the production. Unfortunately, after sending the documents to SEGA things began to go downhill. Communication broke down and after multiple attempts to contact SEGA about the game but with no response, eventually cutting off all ties. Later SEGA put out the game Sonic Riders, which Vision Scape’s boss was quoted saying that the game was clearly inspired by Sonic Extreme. Even after discussing the situation with a legal team, it seems that a non-disclosure agreement was signed when Vision Scape worked on Sonic Heroes. This NDA contained a clause in which all pitches containing SEGA’s IP would would belong to SEGA, regardless.
What could have become of the game if it was released? Would you have liked to see Sonic Extreme come to fruition? Join in with your thoughts on all things Sonic in the comments below and as always, don’t forget to follow Don’t Feed the Gamers on Twitter for 24/7 coverage of all things gaming and entertainment.
Chris Calles1560 Posts
Known as "Stash" or Yippee Calles. He's a student of everything, avid adrenaline junkie, and creator of random things. When he's not delving into a game, book, or movie - He's out teaching himself new things or taking part in some pretty epic adventures. You can find him on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Tumblr.
