Rollerdrome is an action video game created by Roll7 and first published by Private Division. It was released for Windows, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation 5 on August 16, 2022, and for Xbox Series X/S on November 28, 2023. The game combines roller skating with third-person shooting.

Gameplay

Players take control of Kara Hassan, a competitor in a dangerous sport called "Rollerdrome." In this game, players skate while fighting enemies with guns. As a third-person shooter, players refill their ammunition by performing roller-skating tricks. Health is restored by collecting health items from defeated enemies. Players skate through different stages, avoiding attacks and using a bullet time feature to aim weapons. As players complete levels, they unlock stronger weapons like grenade launchers and shotguns. However, enemies become more difficult as the game progresses. Each stage includes optional challenges that require players to perform tasks, such as defeating enemies while doing specific roller-skating tricks.

Development

Rollerdrome was created by Roll7, the same company that made the OlliOlli game series. The game was first a side project by Paul Rabbitte, a solo game designer. Rollerdrome was first made during a 48-hour game jam hosted by Game Maker's Toolkit in 2017. The theme of the jam was "Dual Purpose Design." Roll7 liked the prototype, and Rabbitte joined the studio to complete the project. At the time, Rabbitte described the prototype as a mix of Tony Hawk's games and Doom.

The game took two years to create. The team used the first year to figure out the main gameplay elements. They decided Rollerdrome would mostly be a shooter, but skating mechanics would strongly support the gunplay. Players do not fall when they fail to perform a trick. This was a deliberate choice to help keep their momentum during skating and combat. According to lead producer Drew Jones, the team was inspired by many great ideas from the 1970s, including the movies Rollerball and The Running Man. The game has a stylized, cel-shaded visual style. The team believed a simple art direction would keep gameplay clear and prevent players from feeling overwhelmed.

Roll7 and publisher Private Division announced the game on June 2, 2022, during Sony's State of Play event. It was available on Windows, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation 5 on August 16, 2022.

After Take Two Interactive sold Private Division and Roll7 ended its operations in 2024, the publishing rights to the game were transferred to 2K.

Reception

According to the review website Metacritic, the game Rollerdrome received "generally favorable reviews" when it was released. Another review site, OpenCritic, reported that 78% of critics recommended the game.

GameSpot appreciated how the game combined skating gameplay with traditional third-person shooter mechanics, noting that "the tricks did not slow down the shooting; instead, they helped the game be unique." The Guardian praised the smooth gameplay experience players could achieve with combos but pointed out that some parts of the game were "extremely difficult." Game Informer highlighted that players had to perform tricks to reload their weapons, which made them "try to impress the crowd or defeat enemies."

The Washington Post mentioned that the game sometimes did not clearly show where players could skate, writing, "I felt confused when I couldn’t find the right path to the balcony where a gunman was." GamesRadar+ noted that the game did not use the arenas well, stating, "each arena may look different, but they rarely encourage creative use of their layouts." Eurogamer praised the game’s art style, comparing it to magazine illustrations and the work of artist Jean Giraud.

The game reached 1 million players on March 19, 2024.