Skitchin'

Mega Drive Combat Racer Built Around Skate-Hitching

Forgotten Games · 1994

Archived on 19/08/2026

Associated With

Electronic Arts - developer or publisher

Defining Feature

Traffic racing on inline skates, with skate-hitching behind moving vehicles

Status

Discontinued - Released 1994 / No sequel

Overview

Skitchin' was Electronic Arts’ 1994 combat racer for the Sega Genesis and Mega Drive, played on inline skates.

Players raced through city traffic, fought rival skaters and grabbed passing cars, vans and trucks to build speed. Races, rival encounters and earnings formed the game’s core structure.

Skitching meant holding onto a moving vehicle while travelling on skates. In the United Kingdom, the console was sold as the Mega Drive; Genesis was its North American name.

Why It Mattered

Skitchin' built an entire racing game around hitching a ride behind moving traffic while on skates. Its mix of racing, street traffic, combat and split-second vehicle grabs made that mechanic central to every race.

Play and Progression

Races, rival encounters and earnings formed the core game structure.
Skitching meant holding onto a moving vehicle while travelling on skates, a skateboard or a bicycle.

Production Credits

Dave Ralston is credited with the original concept and Dave Warfield with design.
Stan Chow is credited as producer.
Jeff van Dyck is credited for tunes and sound effects.

1994 Press and Screen Record

Mean Machines Sega listed Skitchin' among its featured games in its April 1994 issue.
An archived Digitiser review index records a 7 April 1994 Mega Drive review with an 88% score.
The National Film and Sound Archive of Australia catalogues a 1994 The Zone review clip.

Sources & Records

The Strong — Skitchin’ for Sega Genesis — Catalogues the Electronic Arts game as a 1994 release for the Genesis/Mega Drive platform.
Centre for Computing History — Mean Machines Sega, April 1994 — Lists Skitchin’ among the issue’s featured games.
National Film and Sound Archive — gaming and Australian popular culture — Preserves a Skitchin’ review from The Zone within its account of 1990s game coverage.

Gallery

Source

Credit

SimFiction

Licence

Historical Ephemera

Displayed for commentary, criticism, research and historical documentation where permitted by applicable law. No permission for reuse is granted.

Caption

Skitchin’s title screen announces its inline-skating theme through the same brash visual style used to sell the game.

Pixel-art gameplay screen showing a rollerblader holding onto the back of a moving car on a road toward a city skyline, with a status panel displaying weapons, rank, time and a Seattle distance readout. — Source
Credit
Retronauts
Licence
Historical Ephemera
Displayed for commentary, criticism, research and historical documentation where permitted by applicable law. No permission for reuse is granted.
Caption
The Seattle stage shows Skitchin’s central mechanic: holding onto a vehicle to gain speed while racing through traffic.

Pixel-art gameplay screen showing a smiling man in a cap and sunglasses giving a thumbs-up beside the open rear of a purple vehicle; on-screen text includes "PARKING," "BEGINNER WHEELS," "$25," and "LMH HAS $100." — Source
Credit
Skitchin' game artwork: Electronic Arts; screenshot supplied via Green Hills Zone
Licence
Historical Ephemera
Displayed for commentary, criticism, research and historical documentation where permitted by applicable law. No permission for reuse is granted.
Caption
The equipment shop made earning and spending money part of Skitchin's skating races, giving players a reason to improve their wheels between events.

Dim overhead photograph of Skitchin' materials on a wooden table: a black game case, a printed leaflet with a skater image and "Skitchin'" text, an Electronic Arts registration card, and a black cartridge with a Skitchin' label. — Source
Credit
Skitchin' packaging and game artwork: Electronic Arts; photograph supplied via Green Hills Zone, photographer not identified
Licence
Historical Ephemera
Displayed for commentary, criticism, research and historical documentation where permitted by applicable law. No permission for reuse is granted.
Caption
A case, cartridge and paperwork preserve Skitchin' as a physical Mega Drive purchase, alongside the aggressive skating image used to sell it.

Composite image containing two flattened Skitchin' game-case scans: a Sega Mega Drive case at the top with black-and-white cover art and yellow title lettering, and a Sega Genesis case at the bottom with a pale blue cover and red-outlined skater. — Source
Credit
eBay UK
Licence
Historical Ephemera
Displayed for commentary, criticism, research and historical documentation where permitted by applicable law. No permission for reuse is granted.
Caption
The console packaging presents Skitchin’ through skating imagery, while the reverse introduces its road-racing action.