Nintendo's N64 snowboarding title 1080° Snowboarding is now a quarter of a century old.
Initially known as Vertical Edge Snowboarding, it launched in Japan on 28th February 1998, and would hit North American and European slopes in April and October, respectively. The game was directed by former Namco staffer Masamachi Abe alongside Misthuro Tanako, with programming duties handled by Giles Goddard and Colin Reed, both former Argonaut staffers.
The game was produced by Shigeru Miyamoto, who claimed he was inspired with the idea after wanting to create a skiing video game. Miyamoto said that snowboarding was chosen over skiing as it offered the player more freedom.
A critical and commercial smash, 1080° Snowboarding sold over two million units worldwide and won an Interactive Achievement Award from the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. A GameCube sequel, 1080° Avalanche, arrived in November 2003.
1080° Snowboarding is due join the Nintendo Switch Online lineup this year.