My Hopes and Fears for the New EA Skate

It’s been 15 years since Skate 3, and EA is about to revive a series that was nearly forgotten. This time there is an entirely new approach to the franchise, not just to its gameplay but to pretty much everything else. Everything will take place in an online world, and I am equally excited and nervous about this new approach. 

As a skater who grew up buying every game on its release day, the Skate series has been part of the best gaming experiences of my lifetime. So, naturally, I feel strongly about how this new game will add to its already amazing roster, especially considering its new approach. 

In this article, I will cover all the points I hope to see from the new EA Skate and the aspects that I fear will ruin this game’s reputation. 

My Hopes And Fears For The New EA Skate

Free-To-Play Approach 

The developers’ biggest announcement is that EA Skate will be free to play. Free is better than not free, but then you start to question why. The answer is that EA believes it will be able to make more money from other revenue sources other than game sales. This leaves us with battle passes, microtransactions, and sponsored features. 

We can look at games like Fortnite, Apex Legends, and Warzone to see how this might pan out. The game is playable without any extra features, but you can engage with the game in a completely different way by paying.

Passes

Passes add rewards to the game in addition to challenges. For me, the challenges make passes worth it as you get set tasks and things to do that otherwise you might not think about. It can be like checking boxes off on a checklist, but a lot of us like knocking out tasks in our video games (for whatever reason). In the context of Skate, I will definitely want to buy a pass if it comes with additional challenges — especially as there will be a lack of a true story mode compared to the last games. 

Ideally, I would prefer to pay outright and get a “complete” game to play rather than a pass in an online world. This is because I prefer approaches that are already thought out and exist as a finished piece rather than evolving ones with no real endpoint.

On the other hand, the “pass” approach allows for much more freedom and a story that might last much longer than any pre-set game. Also, if it’s similar to Fortnite, you will only have to pay for the pass once, and then as long as you finish it, you will earn enough in-game currency to get the next pass for free.

Microtransactions

Microtransactions are fairly unpopular in the gaming community, especially when they come in P2W (pay-to-win) forms. EA Sports games are very familiar with P2W styles as their Ultimate Team modes are predicated on that as a selling point. Luckily, Full Circle (EA Skate developers) have announced that EA Skate will not feature any P2W microtransactions — they will only be cosmetic. Here are the devs talking about microtransactions:

I don’t have any problem with cosmetic microtransactions being inside the game. If it means the game is free, I’m all for it because the player can choose whether to buy the extras. Also, there cannot really be any P2W features in EA Skate as you’re not competing against each other in the same way as Warzone or Fortnite. 

Although Full Circle may have the best intentions with microtransactions, they may see an increasing amount of pressure from EA to make drastic changes if the game isn’t performing well. So, we may see different approaches depending on how popular the game is in its first year. 

“Always Online”

As far as we know, EA Skate will be completely online. If so, you must be connected to the internet to play the game. A feature like this has its own advantages and disadvantages, but for me, the disadvantages outweigh the advantages. 

No Offline Mode 

The biggest issue that a large portion of the community and I share is that the game may not be playable if you are not connected to the internet. Playing it online-only could make it unplayable for people with an unstable internet connection. 

Most importantly, it reduces the chance to have truly casual gameplay. Almost all Skate players will tell you that the most attractive feature of the previous Skate series was the casual cruising and exploring of spots on your own. You’d find a spot or line and then set your own small challenges and maybe stay there for an hour. 

Of course, this can be done in an online world, but will we get the same sense of exploration and solitude in a constantly online world? Riders Republic is heavily populated while also giving you the chance to find your own spots and feel like you have explored secret areas. However, I’m not sure if Skate will be able to replicate this. 

It’s sometimes nice to not have people whizzing around you the whole time. Also, if bumping into players is a thing, then griefing could definitely be possible in Skate by simply having someone stand in front of a rail. I know NPC crowds were just as annoying in Skate 3, but at least they put in a button to disperse people in the way. Who is to say things will work that cleanly in Skate 4?

Playing With Friends 

The biggest advantage of an online world is that we will be able to play with our friends. EA Skate will have EA servers behind it, so I would expect to see seamless drop-in and drop-out of friends’ servers. 

Skate 3 introduced some online features. Playing with friends was great in that one, but I’m not going to lie, watching someone skate in a digital space is not like watching someone skate in real life. I much prefer passing the controller to my friend and watching them skate through their set rather than standing at an obstacle and waiting for them to land a trick.

On the other hand, creating with friends will be a blast. If EA Skate has a feature where you can customize your own park with friends, then I could imagine this adding a whole new dimension to the game’s appeal.

Competing Against Others 

An online world means that challenges are likely to involve competing against real players instead of NPCs. This raises a few questions about difficulty and play style. 

Firstly, will beginners be much less likely to progress as fast as experienced players? If you have to win or place in the top 3 in jams to get rewards, then it would take a while before beginners can start enjoying the game. Skate’s controls have a learning curve, and the previous campaigns dealt with this issue as well. 

Second, does it mean the meta for these competitions will be spamming the best trick combos, as seen in previous Skate series or even Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater games? Playing against NPCs meant you had more chances to skate creatively, not just getting the highest point combo you could. If we constantly play against other people, it will just be a factor of who can hold their combo for the longest.

Longevity 

Another factor to consider is that if this game is only online and if it performs badly, then EA can always cancel the game and take the servers down. Although this isn’t likely to happen, it would mean Skate 4 almost never existed. 

Another point from this is that if you like the initial map (which we know will change as time goes on), there will be no way to reset the game and play it the way it once was. This is another issue with F2P games like Fortnite where the original map is only brought back due to popular demand. 

My Opinion As A Skate Fan 

It’s hard not to feel a little concerned about all this information. Overall, I am super excited to play Skate on a current-gen console (especially as I’m a PS5 player and haven’t been able to play a game since the PS3). But the free-to-play approach is loaded with a spectrum of different ways the game could be ruined. 

The heart and soul of every skating game come from freedom and expression. There are obviously the great rags-to-riches career stories we find in the Skate series or the wild journeys from Tony Hawk’s Underground. But the replayable aspects come from setting your own goals and doing what you think looks cool. 

By freedom and expression, I mean the option to explore the world on your own terms. Being limited by online access is already enough to reduce this. In retaliation, EA Skate has created a focus on exploring and engaging with the city in different ways, and the game will be available on mobile. 

While these are great additions, the key element of skateboarding — being something you ultimately do by yourself — is given over to the social aspect of skateboarding. Don’t get me wrong, this is what keeps people skating. But it’s the progression in your own skills that keeps skaters coming back to the sport on and off the console. 

Full Circle is focusing heavily on its playtesting and community responses. If player responses are considered, it seems more likely that we will have a game that retains the true ethos of the original three games.

We all know the flick-it system won’t change (as there are not huge differences from Skate to Skate 3), so experienced players know what to expect from the actual gameplay. This may sound like a bad thing, but I guarantee every player feels like the downfall of this game would mean leaving this control system. Adding new tricks is exciting, but I’m always much more keen on new maps and challenges. 

Here’s how we know the gameplay won’t change one bit:

Overall, I am super excited we are getting a new game, but I just wish it were not on these terms. Maybe it’s because I’m pessimistic, but I just don’t see it having the same charm as the previous series. On the other hand, I could be completely wrong and Full Circle may have found a way to navigate the free-to-play system extremely well. With the release being sometime this year, we don’t have too long to wait to find out. 

Would I prefer just paying outright for the game? 100 percent, yes. Still, we will be getting a free Skate game, so I can’t complain too much before it’s even out. This approach is a million times better than not having an updated current-gen Skate game at all, so all I can do is hope for the best for now.