Last week at GDC, Xbox hosted its annual ID@Xbox Showcase, which featured a handful of amazing upcoming indie games. For those in attendance, one of the unique items on hand was a custom-designed skateboard deck with artwork created by the amazing artists at Squanch Games that some were lucky enough to take home.

The combination of elements here makes total sense if you’ve had a chance to play High On Life 2, which introduces skateboarding to its wild first-person shooter intergalactic adventure. In talking with Squanch Games Art Manager Justin Mohlman, I learned more about how this collaboration came about. He tells me they started by drawing upon inspiration from the vibrant, bold aesthetics that define both the game and skate culture. One of those on the team who helped hone that process included Chief Creative Officer and Creative Director Mikey Spano, whose passion for the ‘90s era shone through in the design.

“High On Life 2 is vibrant, loud, weird, and unapologetic — wizards, lasers, aliens, slime; it’s all in there,” Mohlman explains. “For this deck, we focused on alien energy and dripping slime with bold, saturated color. It’s chaotic in the best way: Playful, gross, and fun. It’s less about one character and more about the overall vibe, vibrant color, slime, goo, aliens, and that strong ’90s energy. That tone anchors everything.”

Skateboarding culture played a big role in helping shape the decks’ aesthetic as well. As Mohlman notes, skate culture has always embraced rad art — decks, graphics, tees, stickers, and graffiti all feature expressive designs. “Go to any skatepark and you’ll see tagging and expressive art everywhere. We wanted something that felt like it belonged in that world: weird, slightly gross, simple but striking. Something that makes you go, ‘Yep, I want that one.’”

To help bridge the gap between the game’s unique visual style and traditional skate deck aesthetics, Mohlman’s team collaborated with artists like Skinner and Lurk, who had also contributed graffiti and murals inside the game. “Our concept team explored a ton of fun, off-the-wall ideas,” Mohlman says. “It wasn’t overthought — it was about energy and impact. The three-eyed alien in slime became the anchor because it translated cleanly to a vertical deck format and still felt bold.”

That central motif, of the three-eyed alien design surrounded by slime, also translated perfectly to the vertical deck format, providing a bold anchor that unified the design and ensured it would stand out both in-game and in skateparks. What started as a green, three-eyed alien dripping in slime evolved further once concept artist Jeremy Fenske worked the Xbox “X” into each eye and pushed the color variations further.

“Our process is pretty straightforward: Does it look cool? Yes? Great. Make it clean, print-ready, and ship it. Squanch gives artists a lot of creative freedom — that’s part of why the work feels authentic,” Mohlman tells me. “Hopefully fans connect with it the way we did, whether it ends up on a wall or gets dropped into a bowl and worn down the way it should be.”

High On Life 2 x ID@Xbox Skate Deck Giveaway

Now that you’ve learned about its creation, we’re excited to share that Squanch Games is holding a limited-timed giveaway for your chance to win one of these custom-designed skate decks.

Starting today, March 17, 2026, and running through to 11:59pm PT on March 23, 2026, visit the High On Life Instagram page, follow @highonlifegame and @Xbox on Instagram, and tag friends in the comments who need to play (or have played) High On Life 2. That’s it!

This is limited to residents in the United States only and winners will be selected at random and will be contacted directly from the High On Life Instagram account. Learn more about the giveaway entry rules here. Good luck!

High On Life 2 is available today for Xbox Series X|S, Xbox on PC, and with Game Pass Ultimate with support for Xbox Play Anywhere.

High On Life 2

Squanch Games, Inc.

☆☆☆☆☆
1632

★★★★★

$59.99

$53.99

Get it now

PC Game Pass

Xbox Game Pass

You’ve done it. You’ve taken down an intergalactic cartel, brought humanity back from the brink of extinction, and hunted dangerous bounties to the far corners of the galaxy. Bounty hunting has brought you fortune, fame and love; but when a mysterious figure from your past reappears and puts a price on your sister’s head, your cushy life gets thrown into chaos.

Do you have what it takes to risk it all and bring down an intergalactic conspiracy that once again threatens your favorite species (humans)?

High On Life RETURNS as you and your beloved rag-tag team of alien misfits shoot, stab, and skate your way through gorgeous, dangerous worlds all across the galaxy to blow up the EVIL pharmaceutical conglomerate hell-bent on putting price tags on HUMAN LIFE!