Key Takeaways
1. Concept art for the canceled SSX Project Gravity was recently revealed, showcasing ambitious snowboarding experiences with futuristic elements.
2. The SSX series was highly successful in the 2000s, known for its detailed mechanics, memorable characters, and catchy music, selling over 3 million copies.
3. EA rebooted the SSX series in 2012, but no sequels have been released since, leaving the franchise largely inactive for over a decade.
4. Project Gravity aimed to revive the SSX franchise as a live-service, free-to-play multiplayer game, focusing on an arcade-style experience.
5. Development of Project Gravity was halted in February 2024 due to EA pulling support amid industry challenges, including layoffs and funding shortages.
The legendary snowboarding series SSX has recently given fans a glimpse of what might have been with the release of concept art from the now-canceled SSX Project Gravity. This project, intended to serve as the spiritual successor to SSX, was in development at Supernatural Studios.
Concept Art Revealed
Gordon Wang, a former team member and art director, posted the concept art on ArtStation just a few days ago. Titled “Undisclosed Action Adventure Racing,” the artwork provided an exciting look into the ambitious goals of the project. It featured exhilarating snowboarding experiences infused with futuristic elements reminiscent of the classic SSX titles.
The shared concept art combined illustrations with in-engine screenshots, created using Unreal Engine 5. It depicted breathtaking alpine landscapes and gravity-defying slopes, complete with rails for players to grind on.
SSX Legacy
The SSX series was a dominant force in the snowboarding genre during the 2000s, under the banner of Electronic Arts’ EA Sports Big. It started with the launch of SSX in the year 2000 and reached its peak with beloved titles like SSX Tricky in 2001 and SSX 3 in 2003. It’s estimated that the franchise sold over 3 million copies throughout its run and received numerous accolades, celebrated for its detailed mechanics, unforgettable cast of characters, and catchy music.
After a seven-year break, EA brought the series back in 2012 with a reboot simply called SSX for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, developed by EA Canada. This version introduced exploration modes and received a generally positive Metacritic score of 82. However, no sequels followed, leaving the intellectual property largely inactive for over ten years.
Future Prospects
Since then, there haven’t been any new SSX games. Attempts to fill the gap, like Ubisoft’s Steep from 2016, only partially satisfied fans, leaning towards more realistic gameplay instead of the classic arcade feel that SSX was known for.
Project Gravity aimed to bring back the franchise with a live-service, free-to-play multiplayer concept. Supernatural Studios, founded in 2020 by SSX co-creators Steve Rechtschaffner and Larry LaPierre, was working on the project and had gathered much of the original team. They described the game as “arcadey, amazing-feeling, very accessible, competitive, and fun.”
Unfortunately, development was halted in February 2024 when EA pulled its support amid widespread industry challenges, including layoffs and funding shortages.
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