Slide Paper Shredder to Game Pass

Skövde-based Marcus Forssmo put together “Snowboarding”, which has been described as “the hardest snowboard game ever”.

“I released the game, but it was very incomplete and I think only snowboarding enthusiasts like Dirk found it,” Forsmo says.

Dirk is the Belgian Dirk van Welden. The two met in Sweden three years ago, which became the basis for studio Foam Punch.

– I felt the animation and physics of this Snowboarding Game have something unique, he did a great job. I asked him if he wanted to make a new version, or a new game — or what he wanted to do with the technology, says Van Welden, who took over as CEO of the new company.

The answer was a broader skateboard game inspired by the 2001 game “Amped” and the “Skate” series.

– It looks like a simulation game. It brings you closer to snowboarding than other games, but it’s still just a fun arcade game, says Van Welden.

Searching for an invitation

Inspiration also came from the “Forza horizon” racing series, which weaves an easy story with various missions, something also found in “Shredders”. You take on the role of a snowboarder who is trying to convince other professionals to get an invite to an Invitational Contest.

The place is a large open world, in this case it is a mountain range with several valleys with its own appearance – for example, an industrial zone, an Italian village, a French ski resort. A number of real skaters – such as Tor Lundström and Leanne Pelosi – have provided their voices and looks.

Control, animation and physics

A lot of effort has been put into getting the feeling right. If you break it down, it’s about the interaction between controls, animations, and game physics. Most people should be able to go down a hill and jump fairly quickly, but as the player learns the game, the skater also moves more naturally—more engaging, if you will.

– To make it easier for beginners, but to make it very expressive for players who have played a lot, this was something Marcus put a lot of time into. “I think we’ve made it,” says Dirk van Welden.

The game was picked up by Microsoft’s Xbox Game Pass subscription service, which means Foam Punch’s financial security and help, among other things, with the marketing part. In addition, the chance increases that more people will dare to test the game.

– We will develop the multiplayer part, where we have a few left. We have no other plans than to work on “paper shredding,” says Van Welden.