New SSX in the works at EA Canada?
Snowboarding series reboot reportedly in the works for Xbox 360, PS3; may include heliboarding, avalanches; VGA reveal hinted at by EA Sports.
Source: Gaming blog Kotaku.
What we heard: Last month, rumors of a new SSX game sprouted up following the registration of the Web domains SSXFirstDescent.com and SSXDeadlyDescent.com. Now, Kotaku is claiming to have inside knowledge of the title, which is apparently in the works for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 at EA Canada.
According to Kotaku's anonymous source, development of the new game is being handled by the team behind the popular Skate games. As such, the title will apparently have a similar control scheme, with the right analog stick being used to perform tricks as players hurtle down snowy slopes.
More intriguing is the report's reference to surveys sent out this summer, which indicate the game may have content beyond normal snowboarding outings. The survey, which was apparently targeted at SSX fans, reportedly described "avoiding, out-running and even riding on top of massive avalanches; battling hurricane winds; white-outs; bitter cold; falling rocks; and gaping crevasses that open up at a moment's notice." The game was also rumored to have not only heliboarding, but also other extreme sports such as base jumping, skyboarding, ice climbing, and wingsuit flying.
The game itself was described as "an intense, moment-to-moment battle against the forces created from riding your snowboard over the most spectacular and remote mountains on Earth." This led Kotaku to wonder if the game is the same as one being teased for a reveal at the VGAs this Saturday. Brief footage of that game asks players if they are ready to "Take on the planet" and shows a series of snow-capped peaks and a helicopter flying over a mountain summit with a flare atop it. Kotaku reports a similar-looking piece of art (pictured) was sent out alongside the snowboard game survey taken earlier this year.
A direct connection between the "Take on the Planet" game and SSX publisher Electronic Arts was made yesterday, when EA Sports president Peter Moore directly promoted the reveal via a blog post.
Moore described the game as "an obscure new title that's been teased alongside new trailers and announcements for Gears of War 3, Resistance 3, and the new game from our partners at BioWare. Set on what appears to be one of the most treacherous mountain ranges on the planet, this is one we're watching with a lot of anticipation. Hope you are too…."
The official story: EA had not responded to requests for comment as of press time.
Bogus or not bogus?: Looking not bogus. The fact that the head of EA Sports--which includes a studio at EA Canada--is promoting an "obscure" title set on snowy mountaintops is a hint less subtle than a black-diamond wipeout.
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