SSX (2000 video game)

SSX
North American box art
Developer(s)EA Canada
Publisher(s)EA Sports BIG
Producer(s)Larry LaPierre
Steve Rechtschaffner
Programmer(s)Jon Spencer
Artist(s)Ian Lloyd
SeriesSSX
Platform(s)PlayStation 2
Release
  • NA: October 26, 2000
  • EU: November 24, 2000
Genre(s)Snowboarding, Racing
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

SSX is a snowboarding video game, the first in the SSX series. It was developed by EA Canada and published by Electronic Arts under the EA Sports BIG label for the PlayStation 2 in October 2000. It was the first title released under the EA Sports Big publishing label, which specialized in extreme sports titles with an arcade feel.[1]

SSX received widespread critical acclaim and commercial success, while also receiving numerous industry awards and was widely regarded by critics as one of the standouts of the PlayStation 2's launch games.[1] The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences gave the game five awards, including "Console Sports Game of the Year", "Console Racing Game of the Year" and "Console Game of the Year".[2][3] The executive producer and creative leader was Steve Rechtschaffner,[4] who was also the inventor of the Olympic snowboard event called boardercross,[5] which served as the inspiration for the game.[6]

Subsequent titles in the SSX series include, in order of release, SSX Tricky (2001), SSX 3 (2003), SSX on Tour (2005), SSX Blur (2007), and SSX (2012), the final installment.[1][7] Rechtschaffner led the development of SSX, SSX Tricky, and SSX 3,[8] before moving into the chief creative officer role for EA Canada. He had no involvement in the other titles in the series.[9]

  1. ^ a b c Farlow, Sean (January 2, 2017). "What Happened To SSX Games – Previous Releases and Future". Gazette Review. Archived from the original on April 6, 2022. Retrieved April 19, 2022.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference Console Racing Game of the Year was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference Console Sports Game of the Year was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ "History of SSX". Electronic Arts. March 5, 2012. Archived from the original on February 20, 2020. Retrieved April 20, 2022.
  5. ^ Rechtschaffner, Steven (1991). "The Very First Ever Boardercross" (video). Greg Stump's World of Extremes. Fox. Archived from the original on 12 February 2022. Retrieved 20 April 2022 – via Vimeo.
  6. ^ "SSX". Electronic Arts. December 18, 2010. Archived from the original on January 29, 2021. Retrieved April 20, 2022.
  7. ^ Zak, Robert (July 31, 2023). "'We Made SSX 20 Years Too Early:' Creating A Successor To A PS2 Classic". DualSHOCKERS. Archived from the original on July 31, 2023. Retrieved September 16, 2023.
  8. ^ Coulson, John (January 25, 2020). "It's Tricky: Game's Producer Explains Why SSX Remaster Is Out Of His Hands". TheGamer. Archived from the original on April 21, 2022. Retrieved April 21, 2022.
  9. ^ Bajda, Piotr (January 9, 2018). "The Rise and Fall of EA Sports Big, as Told by the Creator of SSX". USgamer. Gamer Network. Archived from the original on January 17, 2019. Retrieved April 20, 2022.