AirBlade is an arcade-style hoverboard game developed by Criterion Games for PlayStation 2, released in 2001. Set in the near future, the game follows Ethan, a young man who comes into possession of a prototype hoverboard called the AirBlade after his friend Oscar — an inventor who has created a perpetual energy source — is kidnapped by the GCP Corporation. The corporation, heavily invested in the oil industry, abducts Oscar to suppress his world-changing discovery before it can threaten their business interests. Players take control of Ethan as he navigates this conflict using the advanced hoverboard technology Oscar entrusted to him. Blending racing and sports arcade mechanics, the game centers on futuristic hoverboard movement as its primary gameplay hook, situated within a near-future setting shaped by corporate conspiracy and a struggle over revolutionary clean energy technology.
