Fans of the Skate series have been hoping to hear more updates about the latest entry in the series and we’ve now received some significant new information. The new game that fans were referring to as Skate 4 is now officially titled Skate. On top of that, Electronic Arts (EA) announced that Skate will be a free-to-play title when it eventually launches.
This new information comes to us from The Board Room, which is an interview with the developers of the game that was released yesterday. Skate is being developed by Full Circle and the extended interview is available to watch below.
The change to a free-to-play model may be concerning for fans of the Skate series. While free-to-play games like Fortnite and Apex Legends have proven that it can work, there are plenty of other examples with more egregious uses of monetization. However, EA is insisting that Skate will not include any pay-to-win mechanics. Skate will not include paid loot boxes, and microtransactions will be limited to cosmetic items with no effect on gameplay.
Skate, which takes place in a new city called San Vansterdam, is being billed as a live-service platform that is driven by community-created content. A new feature called ‘CollaboZones’ will let areas be built by players and appear in their worlds. One example of this shown was a huge ramp with a skyscraper-sized pachinko structure next to it.
EA is offering fans the chance to become a Skate insider for a chance to play the game early and offer feedback on it. For players who are interested, the link is here.
Skate does not yet have a release date, but it will be expected to launch on PC, Xbox, and PlayStation consoles, and it will feature cross-play and cross-progression support. A mobile version is also being explored.
