It might not seem like many big snowboarding games have been released over the last several years. However, that doesn’t mean that game developers have completely forgotten about the sport. For example, Chuhai Labs revealed the VR game Carve Snowboarding last April. Meanwhile, developers announced Xbox Game Pass game Shredders during the Xbox E3 showcase that June.
The studio initially aimed for a December 2021 release date but unfortunately missed the holiday window. Fortunately, Shredders is now on track for a March 17th launch on Xbox Series X|S and Windows PC and will be available on Xbox Game Pass from day one.
The game’s imminent arrival on Game Pass confirms earlier rumors indicating Shredders was likely looking at a March 17th release date. Developers initially announced it as a Game Pass exclusive only for the Xbox Series X and Series S. After two rounds of delays, it’s now also set for a PC via Steam or Game Pass PC. While that’s great news for PC players, it doesn’t appear that Shredders is on its way to Xbox One any time soon.
Developer FoamPunch describes Shredders as a “love letter” to the sport of snowboarding. Players take the role of a talented amateur snowboarder when they are suddenly to work on sponsored snowboarding videos. However, the protagonist is soon ushered into the world of professional snowboarding as they try to earn a spit in an exclusive invitational event. FoamPunch expects players to complete the main Story mode in about six hours, with the game boasting twenty hours of content in all.
According to developers, Shredders features a massive open world, lifelike animations and real snowboarding brands. Players will be able to customize their own unique styles, with the studio claiming that it offers players a never-before-seen level of control. The game accomplishes this by letting players mix-and-match moves recorded from famous real-life snowboarders. Many of these snowboarders voice themselves in-game, adding to Shredders’ realism and giving fans an opportunity to interact with some of their favorites.
Xbox has always had a healthy catalog of sports games, especially early on. However, snowboarding was never the dominant force. While successful franchises like SSX and 1080 Snowboarding definitely held their own, they never quite reached the heights of popularity seen by series like Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater.
Some snowboarding fans might look to Shredders as a way to bring snowboarding back to the forefront of gaming. The game’s push by Microsoft and arrival on Game Pass could very well help with that. Hopefully for fans of the sport, FoamPunch’s ambitious first game proves to be a major success.
Shredders releases on March 17th, 2022, for PC and Xbox Series X/S on Steam and Xbox Game Pass.