Summary
Some fans have recently discussed Atlus’Snowboard Kidsracing game property, wanting it to make a comeback one day.Atlus' gaming library is incredibly diverse. While the developer and publisher is best known for itsShin Megami TenseiandPersonaRPG franchises, it has dived into all sorts of genres, such as the interactive medical drama seriesTrauma Center, the hack-and-slash action gameSamurai Western, and the puzzle platformer hybridCatherine. There was also the time that Atlus delved into the racing genre viaSnowboard Kids.
Snowboard Kidsis an action racing series that was produced by Atlus, with the first game developed by Racjin. The first game was released on the Nintendo 64 console in 1997, and was a snowboard racing game. It was competing with a number of otherracing games on the N64, includingMario Kart, which debuted a year prior. The series got a Japan-exclusive port on the PlayStation 1, along with a sequel in 1999. The series' last game was 2005’sSBK: Snowboard Kids, where Atlus announced and released the game for the Nintendo DS seemingly out of the blue. Due to the DS title’s poor reception, it did poorly with fans and critics, and the series has been dormant since.
One user on the r/atlus subreddit, Tusheabu, recently asked fellow fans what had happened to theSnowboard KidsIP, saying they grew up with the games and heard a lot of people want thesnowboard racing game seriesto make a comeback with a potential remake one day. They noted that whileSBK: Snowboard Kidswas an “alright” game, they preferred the kart racing style ofSnowboard KidsandSnowboard Kids 2on the N64/PS1.
Fans Want Snowboard Kids to Make a Comeback
Users noted that the series didn’t do well as it was competing with othersnowboard racers on the N64 like1080 SnowboardingandCool Boarders. Others noted that the original developer, Racjin, is still active, but some of the staff members who originally worked onSnowboard Kidsare at other studios, like Atlus itself or Vanillaware. Atlus supposedly still owns the rights to theSnowboard KidsIP, so a sequel could theoretically be made under Sega.
Despite its success in the JRPG genre, fans note that Atlus has a diverse portfolio of interesting titles that haven’t seen a new entry in several years. Some fans speculate that it might be due to the number of staff, as Atlus once said it wanted to make anotherTrauma Centergame if there was enough demand. For now,Snowboard Kidsis one of Atlus' forgotten franchises, alongside other series likeRadiant HistoriaandTrauma Center. Fans are hoping thatAtluscould bringSnowboard Kidsonto the Nintendo Switch Online service.
