With Tony Hawk Ride getting the cold shoulder from critics and Skate 3 carving out its own rut, is there really room in the market for another skating game? Ubisoft believes there is and plans to turn snowboarder Shaun White's burgeoning skateboarding career into a new franchise -- and hopefully add a little innovation to the genre.

In a quick developer-led demo at a pre-E3 event, we got to see how Ubisoft aims to accomplish its goal. As Shaun skateboarded around the grayed-out city of New Harmony, he (or the player's custom skater) spread "influence" around, and turned a place oppressed by the evil skateboard-hating Ministry into a world full of colorful half-pipes and rails, custom-designed by the player in real time. The premise is interesting, but will it work?