More Details And Footage Of The Canceled Sonic Skateboard Game Emerge

Video games are often developed behind closed doors and largely in secret. So it's fun when we get a peek behind the curtain to see the early part of a game's career, especially those that never came out.

A new video from Unseen64 on the DidYouKnowGaming YouTube account shows off a Sonic the Hedgehog skateboard game, Sonic Extreme, that never materialized. The title was apparently in the works at developer Vision Scape, which made the original Xbox game SeaBlade, as well as the Tech Deck skateboarding game Bare Knuckle Grind, based on the toys that were popular in the late '90s. Vision Scape was also making a skateboarding game based on the Nickelodeon TV show Rocket Power.

Sonic Extreme would have been a hoverboard-based game, featuring two playable characters: Sonic and Shadow Sonic. The skatepark was inspired by Sonic the Hedgehog's iconic Green Hill Zone, but of course, it was outfitted with ramps and rails to grind on, among other things. There going to be a single-player mode and a two-player combat mode involving weapons like rockets and grenades. A race mode was also playable in the prototype.

According to the video, Sonic Extreme's prototype was paid for entirely by Vision Scape, without the knowledge of rights-owner Sega. Building off the relationship the studio had with Sega for its work on some Sonic Heroes cutscenes, it eventually pitched it to Sega, and Sonic Team boss Yuji Kaka was reportedly very interested in the concept, asking Vision Scape to produce a design document and an estimate of a budget to determine how much it would cost to make. Vision Scape sent over those documents, but Sega reportedly "went silent" and the communication broke down.

Sega eventually put out the game Sonic Riders, who Vision Scape's boss is quoted in the video as saying was clearly inspired by his own company's pitch for Sonic Extreme. Vision Scape reportedly contacted a legal team for advice, but was informed that the non-disclosure agreement the studio signed for its work on the cutscenes for Sonic Heroes contained a clause that said any pitch containing Sega's IP would belong to Sega.

The full video contains many more interesting details on Sonic Extreme.

Two new Sonic games are coming this year: Sonic Forces and Sonic Mania.