Skateboarding games are experiencing their own little renaissance, and for some time now we’ve been aware that publisher EA is planning to get in on the action with its Skate brand. Some time ago, the developers at Full Circle Studio alerted fans that the release date was quite a ways off, but at the same time invited them to join a testing program where they can help with bug hunting.
Now, EA and Full Circle are at it again, revealing a number of facts in an 18-minute video that probably won’t be pleasing to many. First off, Skate 4 is now called Skate., including that period. The game is not a sequel, remake or reboot, the developers say, but a natural evolution to bring the brand into modern times.
This is probably why Skate. is going to be a free-to-play game with live service elements, and if you were looking forward to a regular premium title like the previous three installments of the series, you are going to be disappointed.
Obviously, Full Circle is promising to keep the game loaded with new content for years, but this is very unconvincing in the context of EA, a company that has been able to cut the much larger Anthem project at the snap of a finger. Then again, EA runs battle royale Apex Legends, so maybe the new Skate will be similarly successful.
Apex is where the developers are said to be taking inspiration from the monetization side, Skate. will primarily rely on selling cosmetic items. You shouldn’t expect pay-to-win, buying loot boxes or paying to unlock other parts of the game map.
Skate. currently doesn’t have a release date, and will arrive when it’s ready. We’ll see a mobile version later.
