It’s kinda weird how Nintendo hasn’t been releasing consistent games in its 1080 Snowboarding series. We got the original N64 game a while back, which was a fine mix of simulation and arcade-style snowboarding in one convenient package. After that, we got 1080 Avalanche for the GameCube, which improved upon the formula while adding a fresh soundtrack and crisp new visuals into the mix.
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Since then, though, the series has laid dormant, without a peep of when we could possibly expect its return. However, a new trademark indicates that Nintendo might be bringing it back to some capacity.
A Twitter user by the name of Pixelpar has posted a picture of a recent patent, showing that Nintendo has registered a game under the name of 1080 TenEighty. You can see the image for yourself below, which shows Nintendo’s name clear as day, as well as “application under examination” when it comes to the patent. Pixelpar also makes note of the series’ history, with the original N64 game releasing in 1998 (twenty years ago – anniversary title, perhaps?) and the GameCube version debuting in 2003 (fifteen years ago – again, prime for an anniversary release).
Nintendo has filed a trademark registration for 1080° Ten Eighty.
1080° Snowboarding was first released on N64 in 1998, hitting the Wii’s Virtual Console 10 years later (in 2008). The sequel “1080° Avalanche” was released on GameCube in 2003. pic.twitter.com/VJ8wcesbv8
— Pixelpar (@pixelpar) January 9, 2018
It’s too soon to tell just what the patent means. Could we be seeing a return of the original Avalanche on the GameCube front, with Nintendo prepping a Virtual Console service for the Switch? Maybe the original 1080 Snowboarding is being remade with HD touch-ups. Or, dare we say it, we could be looking at an entirely new 1080 game, one that this generation of gamers can enjoy wherever they wish on the Nintendo Switch.
Nintendo hasn’t said a word, and we likely won’t hear anything until the next Nintendo Direct, which is rumored to take place this week. There’s also the possibility that Nintendo may wait until E3 to announce this one, since it wants to save some surprises for later in the year.
Whatever the case, it sounds like they haven’t forgotten 1080, and that’s good for snowboarding enthusiasts who have been looking to get back on the grind. We’ll let you know once the company officially announces something.
