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SkateBIRD kickflips into Wholesome Direct 2021 with new accessibility options

Lead developer Megan Fox takes a minute to drop into the Wholesome Direct Showcase with a new trailer focusing on some accessibility options being added to SkateBIRD.

Bryan Lefler

June 12, 2021 7:30 PM

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The Wholesome Direct 2021 showcase packed a ton of perfectly pleasant and adorable news into one presentation earlier today and SkateBIRD is one game that fits the bill precisely. Lead developer from Glass Bottom Games, Megan Fox, spent a minute narrating a new accessibility trailer shown today for Wholesome Direct 2021. SkateBIRD is listed for release on August 12 and it looks like more players will be able to enjoy the game when it launches with this new update.

Skateboarding games can be incredibly fun and intuitive but often require masterful manipulation of the controller to perform tricks at a competent level. SkateBIRD is no exception to this observation but Glass Bottom Games is aiming to bring more players under its wing with new accessibility options designed to reduce button travel and input complexity. This should ease the barrier of entry for players of all types and provide ways for everyone to shred.

During the Wholesome Direct 2021 showcase, lead developer for SkateBIRD, Megan Fox, presented a short video on some features being added to the control options for the game. One small change with a large impact is the ability to automatically push your board forward while holding down the ollie button. Some classic skateboarding video games already feature this option and it seemed only natural to bring it forward. This should greatly reduce the input density on the left control stick.

The next new accessibility feature shown is the option to merge the grind and ollie buttons together. Megan Fox explains in the video that in order to reduce button travel for the right hand, this seemed best as going from an ollie to a grind usually requires players to move their hand from the bottom of the controller face to the top. By tapping ollie once to jump and the same button again to grind, a lot of hand movement is saved over time. Combined with other options like merging grab and flips into one button or even slowing the entire game down, Glass Bottom Games hopes anyone will be able to enjoy SkateBIRD.

We took a look at another new SkateBIRD gameplay trailer during the IGN Expo, so take a look if you're interested in kickflips while you flap. Keep those tabs locked to Shacknews as we cover all the E3 2021 news coming throughout the weekend.

Bryan Lefler

Contributing Editor

From the test launch of the NES in New York to 4K gaming in his living room, Bryan Lefler has been immersed in video games his entire life. Battle tested in the arena shooters of the turn of the century yet kind to all animals that may cross him, Bryan enjoys a breadth of games but strives to be the best in any contest of digital skill. He is a former esports competitor and has been part of the Shacknews community for over 15 years. You can also catch him on skankcore64 streams on the Shacknews Twitch channel where he plays through the N64 library and follow him on Twitter @skankcore.