Lost Sonic skateboarding game Sonic Extreme was planned for the GameCube

The GameCube did receive a skateboard-esque game many years ago in Sonic Riders. However, Vision Scape Interactive pitched a similar project before that title came to fruition.

A new report from Liam Robertson and Did You Know Gaming discusses Sonic Extreme, which would have had players competing against various Sonic characters in different worlds on hoverboards. A prototype lets players navigate in an area modeled after Green Hill Zone and pull off tricks, ultimately increasing their score. A single-player mission mode as well as multiplayer modes featuring combat and racing are included in the build.

While Yuji Naka – the head of Sonic Team at the time – was impressed with Vision Scape’s work when the pitch was presented, SEGA went silent. That’s apparently despite the fact that Naka said the two sides would move forward together, and Vision Scape was even told to write up a design document for a full game and preliminary budget. Of course, we all know that SEGA went on to create Sonic Riders.

Unfortunately for Vision Scape, even if their work was being used for Sonic Riders, SEGA was technically the owner due to legalities stemming from a Sonic Heroes contract. Vision Scape worked on that game to produce its cinematics, and gave up all rights for Sonic pitches.

Here’s the full report from Robertson and Did You Know Gaming: