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The Simpsons Skateboarding

Topic: Software

 From HandWiki - Reading time: 8 min

Short description: 2002 video game
The Simpsons Skateboarding
North American box art
Developer(s)Mass Media
The Code Monkeys
Publisher(s)Electronic Arts
Fox Interactive
Artist(s)William Brand
Daniel Hughes
Paul Hunter
Writer(s)Tim Long
Matt Selman
Composer(s)Christopher Tyng
SeriesThe Simpsons
EngineRenderWare
Platform(s)PlayStation 2
Release
  • NA: 12 November 2002[1]
  • EU: 6 December 2002
Genre(s)Sports
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

The Simpsons Skateboarding is a sports video game based on the animated sitcom The Simpsons. It was released for the PlayStation 2 in North America on 12 November 2002 and Europe on 6 December 2002. The game was developed by Mass Media and The Code Monkeys and published by Fox Interactive and Electronic Arts. The story and dialogue were written by writers from The Simpsons, with all character voices supplied by the cast. The game received generally negative reviews from critics.

Gameplay

Springfield has been converted into a skate park for the Annual Skate Tour, full of skate-able objects and landmarks from the television series. Players are able to choose one of the nine characters available and complete for the grand prize. All of the characters' voices were recorded by the actual voice actors from The Simpsons. Each character has over forty unique moves. Players can test their skills in either a two-player head-to-head skate off, or in one of the fast and furious modes: Freeskate, Skate Fest, Trick Contest, and a game of skateboard H-O-R-S-E, unlocking additional characters, locations, and skateboards. Players can also choose to learn all the skateboard moves and tricks before they begin the actual game in the Skillz School mode.[1]

Development

The Simpsons Skateboarding was developed by Mass Media and The Code Monkeys, and published by Electronic Arts (EA Games) under license from Fox Interactive. Before EA made an official announcement about The Simpsons Skateboarding, an advertisement for the game was featured on the back page of the instruction manual for Software:The Simpsons: Road Rage, and on in-game billboards, which was released in 2001. There were no mention of a console in the advertisement and no gameplay details were revealed. In November 2001, EA representatives said they were not ready to comment on the product.[2] On 16 May 2002, a few days before the E3 Media and Business Summit, they released their first piece of information about the game.[3] All of the characters' voices were recorded by the actual voice actors from The Simpsons.[1][4]

Reception

Reception
Aggregate score
AggregatorScore
Metacritic38/100[5]
Review scores
PublicationScore
AllGame2/5[6]
EGM7/10, 5/10, 3/10[7]
Eurogamer2/10[8]
Game Informer1/10[9]
GameSpot3.9/10[10]
GameSpy0.5/5[11]
GameZone3/10[12]
IGN2.5/10[13]
OPM (US)1.5/5[14]
X-Play3/5[15]
Maxim5/10[16]

The Simpsons Skateboarding received "unfavorable" reviews according to the review aggregation website Metacritic.[5] It was criticized for its chunky graphics, poorly recorded sound and music, lack of skateboarding tricks, and poor controls whilst the in-game dialogue were mixed.

Andrew Reiner of Game Informer said: "Never before have I seen a developer put forth such an effort to secure the Worst Game of the Year award. I'll even go as far to say that this may very well be the worst PlayStation 2 game on the market."[9] Kevin Murphy of GameSpy said that "The Simpsons Skateboarding should be a case study in bad game design."[11] One reviewer in Electronic Gaming Monthly said it was please fans of the series, the other two felt it was average skateboarding game while the other felt the stiff controls hampered the game.[7]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "Shred and Grind Springfield in the Simpsons Skateboarding for the PlayStation 2 From EA and Fox Interactive". Business Wire. 14 November 2002. http://www.wilsongame.com/shred-and-grind-springfield-in-the-simpsons-skateboarding-for-the-playstation-2-from-ea-and-fox-interactive/. Retrieved 20 August 2016. 
  2. ↑ IGN staff (27 November 2001). "The Simpsons Go Skateboarding". http://www.ign.com/articles/2001/11/27/the-simpsons-go-skateboarding. Retrieved 20 August 2016. 
  3. ↑ Smith, David (17 May 2002). "[The Simpsons Skateboarding (Preview)"]. http://www.ign.com/articles/2002/05/17/simpsons-skateboarding-2. Retrieved 20 August 2016. 
  4. ↑ "Here's a nostalgia inducing list of skateboard games". Magneto. 8 November 2015. https://magnetoelectricskateboard.com/blogs/news/63995589-a-history-of-skateboard-games. Retrieved 8 November 2015. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 "The Simpsons Skateboarding for PlayStation 2 Reviews". https://www.metacritic.com/game/the-simpsons-skateboarding/critic-reviews/?platform=playstation-2. Retrieved 20 June 2013. 
  6. ↑ Marriott, Scott Alan. "The Simpsons Skateboarding - Review". AllGame. Archived from the original on 14 November 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20141114233530/http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=37753&tab=review. Retrieved 20 August 2016. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Ford, Greg; Tsao, Jennifer; Rybicki, Joe (January 2003). "Review Crew". Electronic Gaming Monthly (Ziff Davis Media) (171). https://archive.gamehistory.org/item/e67265bd-34b1-45fc-baf4-d55497a2fee0. Retrieved September 9, 2025. 
  8. ↑ Taylor, Martin (1 January 2003). "[The Simpsons Skateboarding"]. http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/r_simpsonsskate_ps2. Retrieved 20 August 2016. 
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Reiner, Andrew (December 2002). "Simpsons' [sic Skateboarding"]. Game Informer (116): 123. http://gameinformer.com/Games/Review/200212/R03.0731.1138.03070.htm. Retrieved 20 August 2016. 
  10. ↑ Davis, Ryan (26 November 2002). "The Simpsons Skateboarding Review". http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/the-simpsons-skateboarding/1900-2898697/. Retrieved 20 August 2016. 
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Murphy, Kevin (2 December 2002). "GameSpy: The Simpsons Skateboarding". GameSpy. http://ps2.gamespy.com/playstation-2/the-simpsons-skateboarding/565598p1.html. Retrieved 20 August 2016. 
  12. ↑ Valentino, Nick (24 November 2002). "The Simpsons Skateboarding - PS2 - Review". GameZone. Archived from the original on 8 December 2008. https://web.archive.org/web/20081208180609/http://ps2.gamezone.com/gzreviews/r19636.htm. Retrieved 20 August 2016. 
  13. ↑ Smith, David (19 November 2002). "[The Simpsons Skateboarding"]. http://www.ign.com/articles/2002/11/19/simpsons-skateboarding. Retrieved 20 August 2016. 
  14. ↑ Rybicki, Joe (January 2003). "The Simpsons Skateboarding". Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine: 132. Archived from the original on 29 March 2004. https://web.archive.org/web/20040329071417/http://www.playstationmagazine.com/article2/0,2053,1495335,00.asp. Retrieved 20 August 2016. 
  15. ↑ Rubenstein, Glenn (25 November 2002). "'[The Simpsons Skateboarding' (PS2) Review"]. X-Play. Archived from the original on 25 November 2002. https://web.archive.org/web/20021125022257/http://www.techtv.com/extendedplay/reviews/story/0,24330,3408509,00.html. Retrieved 20 August 2016. 
  16. ↑ Boyce, Ryan (25 October 2002). "[The Simpsons Skateboarding"]. Maxim. Archived from the original on 24 November 2002. https://web.archive.org/web/20021124225752/http://www.maximonline.com/entertainment/reviews/review_games_4221.html. Retrieved 20 August 2016. 
  • The Simpsons Skateboarding on IMDb
  • MobyGames is a commercial database website that catalogs information on video games and the people and companies behind them via crowdsourcing. This includes over 300,000 games for hundreds of platforms.[1] Founded in 1999, ownership of the site has changed hands several times. It has been owned by Atari SA since 2022.

Features

Edits and submissions to the site (including screenshots, box art, developer information, game summaries, and more) go through a verification process of fact-checking by volunteer "approvers".[2] This lengthy approval process after submission can range from minutes to days or months.[3] The most commonly used sources are the video game's website, packaging, and credit screens. There is a published standard for game information and copy-editing.[4] A ranking system allows users to earn points for contributing accurate information.[5]

Registered users can rate and review games. Users can create private or public "have" and "want" lists, which can generate a list of games available for trade with other registered users. The site contains an integrated forum. Each listed game can have its own sub-forum.

History

Logo used until March 2014

MobyGames was founded on March 1, 1999, by Jim Leonard and Brian Hirt, and joined by David Berk 18 months later, the three of which had been friends since high school.[6][7] Leonard had the idea of sharing information about computer games with a larger audience. The database began with information about games for IBM PC compatibles, relying on the founders' personal collections. Eventually, the site was opened up to allow general users to contribute information.[5] In a 2003 interview, Berk emphasized MobyGames' dedication to taking video games more seriously than broader society and to preserving games for their important cultural influence.[5]

In mid-2010, MobyGames was purchased by GameFly for an undisclosed amount.[8] This was announced to the community post factum , and the site's interface was given an unpopular redesign.[7] A few major contributors left, refusing to do volunteer work for a commercial website.{{Citation needed|date=June 2025} On December 18, 2013, MobyGames was acquired by Jeremiah Freyholtz, owner of Blue Flame Labs (a San Francisco-based game and web development company) and VGBoxArt (a site for fan-made video game box art).[9] Blue Flame Labs reverted MobyGames' interface to its pre-overhaul look and feel,[10] and for the next eight years, the site was run by Freyholtz and Independent Games Festival organizer Simon Carless.[7]

On November 24, 2021, Atari SA announced a potential deal with Blue Flame Labs to purchase MobyGames for $1.5 million.[11] The purchase was completed on 8 March 2022, with Freyholtz remaining as general manager.[12][13][14] Over the next year, the financial boost given by Atari led to a rework of the site being built from scratch with a new backend codebase, as well as updates improving the mobile and desktop user interface.[1] This was accomplished by investing in full-time development of the site instead of its previously part-time development.[15]

In 2024, MobyGames began offering a paid "Pro" membership option for the site to generate additional revenue.[16] Previously, the site had generated income exclusively through banner ads and (from March 2014 onward) a small number of patrons via the Patreon website.[17]

See also

  • IGDB – game database used by Twitch for its search and discovery functions

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Sheehan, Gavin (2023-02-22). "Atari Relaunches The Fully Rebuilt & Optimized MobyGames Website". https://bleedingcool.com/games/atari-relaunches-the-fully-rebuilt-optimized-mobygames-website/. 
  2. ↑ Litchfield, Ted (2021-11-26). "Zombie company Atari to devour MobyGames". https://www.pcgamer.com/zombie-company-atari-to-devour-mobygames/. 
  3. ↑ "MobyGames FAQ: Emails Answered § When will my submission be approved?". Blue Flame Labs. 30 March 2014. http://www.mobygames.com/info/faq7#g1. 
  4. ↑ "The MobyGames Standards and Practices". Blue Flame Labs. 6 January 2016. http://www.mobygames.com/info/standards. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Miller, Stanley A. (2003-04-22). "People's choice awards honor favorite Web sites". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. 
  6. ↑ "20 Years of MobyGames" (in en). 2019-02-28. https://trixter.oldskool.org/2019/02/28/20-years-of-mobygames/. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Plunkett, Luke (2022-03-10). "Atari Buys MobyGames For $1.5 Million". https://kotaku.com/mobygames-retro-credits-database-imdb-atari-freyholtz-b-1848638521. 
  8. ↑ "Report: MobyGames Acquired By GameFly Media". Gamasutra. 2011-02-07. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/game-platforms/report-mobygames-acquired-by-gamefly-media. 
  9. ↑ Corriea, Alexa Ray (December 31, 2013). "MobyGames purchased from GameFly, improvements planned". http://www.polygon.com/2013/12/31/5261414/mobygames-purchased-from-gamefly-improvements-planned. 
  10. ↑ Wawro, Alex (31 December 2013). "Game dev database MobyGames getting some TLC under new owner". Gamasutra. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/game-dev-database-mobygames-getting-some-tlc-under-new-owner. 
  11. ↑ "Atari invests in Anstream, may buy MobyGames". November 24, 2021. https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2021-11-24-atari-invests-in-anstream-may-buy-mobygames. 
  12. ↑ Rousseau, Jeffrey (2022-03-09). "Atari purchases Moby Games". https://www.gamesindustry.biz/atari-purchases-moby-games. 
  13. ↑ "Atari Completes MobyGames Acquisition, Details Plans for the Site's Continued Support". March 8, 2022. https://www.atari.com/atari-completes-mobygames-acquisition-details-plans-for-the-sites-continued-support/. 
  14. ↑ "Atari has acquired game database MobyGames for $1.5 million" (in en-GB). 2022-03-09. https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/atari-has-acquired-game-database-mobygames-for-1-5-million/. 
  15. ↑ Stanton, Rich (2022-03-10). "Atari buys videogame database MobyGames for $1.5 million". https://www.pcgamer.com/atari-buys-videogame-database-mobygames-for-dollar15-million/. 
  16. ↑ Harris, John (2024-03-09). "MobyGames Offering “Pro” Membership". https://setsideb.com/mobygames-offering-pro-membership/. 
  17. ↑ "MobyGames on Patreon". http://www.patreon.com/mobygames. 
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