| Sonic Extreme | |
|---|---|
 Title screen | |
| Developer | Vision Scape Interactive |
| Series | Sonic the Hedgehog |
| Engine | RenderWare |
| Platform | Xbox |
| Release | Unreleased |
| Genre | Extreme sports |
| Modes | Single-player,multiplayer |
Sonic Extreme was aprototype video game created by Vision Scape Interactive in May 2003. Proposed as aspin-off toSega'sSonic the Hedgehog series,Sonic Extreme featuredSonic andShadow ridinghoverboards in aGreen Hill Zone-themedopen world, with gameplay likened toTony Hawk's Pro Skater. It featured three gameplay modes, which included searching for keys andChaos Emeralds and fighting or racing another player. Vision Scape created the prototype while it made cutscenes forSonic Heroes (2003); it was developed on theXbox with intent toport it to theGameCube andPlayStation 2. The prototype was assembled using theRenderWaregame engine and assets from prior Vision Scape andSonic games.
Vision Scape showedSonic Extreme toSonic Team headYuji Naka, who was impressed and asked for asoftware design description to be submitted to Sega. However, Sega never responded to Vision Scape after the document was turned in. While the game never came to fruition, it may have served as the basis for Sonic Team'sSonic Riders (2006), which features similar gameplay concepts. TheExtreme prototype publicly surfaced in May 2011, when gameplay footage was uploaded toYouTube. Journalists reacted negatively and expressed relief it was never released.
Sonic Extreme was anextreme sports video game in which the player controlled a character riding ahoverboard. It could have featured multiple playable characters from theSonic the Hedgehog series,[1] but the prototype only featuredSonic andShadow.[2]Polygon andDigital Trends compared its gameplay toTony Hawk’s Pro Skater: the player was placed in anopen world withrings, crates, boost pads, ramps,half-pipes, and rails, and could perform tricks to boost their score.[3][4]
The prototype featured three game modes: "Mission", "Combat", and "Race". The "Mission" mode wassingle-player and involved exploring the environment to collect a key that gave access to a room with aChaos Emerald. Collecting the emerald returned the player to thetitle screen. "Combat" was a split-screenmultiplayer mode in which players would attack each other with weapons such as rocket launchers, mines, and grenades. "Race" pitted players against each other in a race to the end of a level.[2][4]
Sonic Extreme was developed by Vision Scape Interactive, aSan Diego–based studio known for its work on theshoot 'em upSeaBlade for theXbox and theskateboarding gameTech Deck Dude: Bare Knuckle Grind forMicrosoft Windows.[5][6] While developingBare Knuckle Grind, Vision Scape decided to use itsgame engine—created using theRenderWare framework—in other skateboarding games. The first attempt was with a game based on the American animated television seriesRocket Power that would have been published byTHQ for theGameCube, Xbox, andPlayStation 2, but this game was canceled due to THQ's financial problems.[4] As a number of the staff had backgrounds inanimation,Sega hired Vision Scape to produce cutscenes forSonic Team's gameSonic Heroes (2003).[3]
Vision Scape cofounder Matt McDonald decided to pitch aspinoff that used theBare Knuckle Grind engine with theSonicintellectual property (IP).[4][5] The prototype was developed over the course of a week in May 2003 without Sega's knowledge.[3][2] It was created on the Xbox because of Vision Scape's experience with the platform, with intent toport it to the GameCube and PlayStation 2.[4] The team retooledBare Knuckle Grind to resembleSonic games; for example, the world was based onGreen Hill Zone and included traditionalSonic elements such as rings and boost pads.[2] Vision Scape's deal with Sega forSonic Heroes also gave them access to assets fromSonic games. The studio took models of Sonic and Shadow and repurposed them to ride the hoverboards. Promotional artwork fromSonic Adventure andSonic Adventure 2 was used for the loading and title screens. Sounds and music wereripped fromSonic Adventure 2.[4][3]
McDonald held a meeting with Sonic Team headYuji Naka and showed him the prototype. According to McDonald, Naka was impressed and enthusiastic, and said the project would move forward as a collaboration between Sonic Team and Vision Scape. At Naka's request, Vision Scape produced asoftware design description for a fullSonic Extreme and its budget;[2] the studio management believed they had secured the deal. However, Sega did not respond to Vision Scape and ended its communications with the studio after it completed theSonic Heroes cutscenes, despite repeated attempts by Vision Scape's agent for correspondence. McDonald did not take Sega's silence personally, assuming it had its own plans. Ultimately,Sonic Extreme never came to fruition.[5][2]
In September 2005, Sega announcedSonic Riders, a newSonic game developed by Sonic Team.[7] Vision Scape staff were stunned by the resemblancesSonic Riders bore toSonic Extreme, with characters riding hoverboards and performing tricks through worlds inspired by pastSonic games. Video game historian Liam Robertson noted that, in addition to the hoverboarding,Sonic Extreme's game modes were present inSonic Riders, although heavily modified. McDonald believed that Sonic Team took Vision Scape's concept before going in a different direction, which he thinks explains Sega's silence. Vision Scape considered taking legal action, but McDonald's agent informed him thenon-disclosure agreement the studio signed during theSonic Heroes development gave Sega ownership of anything they made using a Sega IP.[5][3]
Vision Scape closed in 2006. McDonald ordered the staff to dispose of their development hardware and a numbersoftware development kits were taken to a recycling plant. However, theSonic Extreme prototype survived and was traded between collectors.[4]
Sonic Extreme was publicly revealed in May 2011, when aYouTube user, "ProtonX3", released videos demonstrating the environments and modes.[8][9] The footage was poorly received byvideo game journalists.Game Informer andVG247 thoughtSonic Extreme looked "predictably" and "compellingly" awful, respectively,[10][11] andGamesRadar joked it "prov[ed] once again that slapping the word 'extreme' onto any popular franchise, activity or consumer good is a surefire way to guarantee that it will be anything but."[9] The game also elicited commentary on Sega's quality control process;Game Informer andComputer and Video Games expressed relief that it was never released, but questioned why Sega had continued to release other poorly receivedSonic games, such asShadow the Hedgehog,Sonic Riders and its sequels, andSonic the Hedgehog (2006).[10][12]
In May 2017,Did You Know Gaming? dedicated an episode of its seriesUnseen64 toSonic Extreme. Former members of Vision Scape, including McDonald, were interviewed for the video, while research was provided by Andrew Borman, a video game preservationist and the owner of the prototype.[3][5] After the video's release,Engadget was positive, saying "Extreme looks like it could've actually been a lot of fun" and favorably compared its battle mode toMario Kart 8's.[1]
TECH DECK DUDE – Bare Knuckle Grind (PC, PS2, XBox, GC) Self-Published by VSI: Full Game Development of title.
