BACKCOUNTRY SPIRIT

BACKCOUNTRY SPIRIT

An open world in your living room.

This christmas, a landmark new video game will be the flagship stocking filler for kids, and slightly bigger kids, all across the world. ‘Stoked’ is the love-child of developers, Destineer, and renowned snowboarding movie creators, Absinthe Films. This collaboration could be a masterstroke. Absinthe have been inextricably linked to backcountry riding, and capturing that pioneering spirit, for almost a decade.

Stoked promises to be the first game to really honour the craft and explorative nature of freeriding. The routes are completely open-world, so players have potential for Grand Theft Auto style roaming, making every single descent a tailor-made and unique experience. There are five mountains in the game, all famous real-life venues, and each home to 45 square miles of open terrain. Ever evolving weather conditions add to the realism with riders deciding where to go and where to avoid, with helicopter drop-points offering endless extreme locations.

Stoked will go head to head with Ubisoft’s Shaun White Snowboarding in the battle for christmas cash. Both promise significant advances to current gameplay, but with Stoked only releasing on X-Box 360 it may struggle to compete with the big name rival. On paper, though, the idea of backcountry riding coupled with all the authenticity that Absinthe bring to the table makes Stoked one of the the most innovative and exciting games of the year.

Check out the teaser film. The track is 'Smart Went Crazy' by Atmosphere.