After a long period of development, skate. is finally taking a big step forward in September. The iconic Skate series lay dormant for a while after its heyday on seventh-generation consoles, and years of playtests for the new title have been leading up to a major resurrection.
Today, EA announced that skate. will release in early access on September 16. The game will be free-to-play across PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, Xbox One, and PC. The press release also notes cross-platform and cross-progression support, citing the opportunity to share the "freedom, creative expression and community of skateboarding [....] with as many people as possible."
EA Skate Hits Early Access On September 16
A Release Date At Long Last
The early access launch means skate. may still be in a somewhat incomplete form on September 16, but it should be polished enough to provide a hopefully enjoyable experience. EA promises a continued reliance on player feedback throughout the early access period, as well as seasonal content updates, with events, challenges, cosmetics, and more.
Skate. takes on the fictional city of San Vansterdam, which is conveniently set up for plenty of skate tricks and even parkour as players navigate the world together. While multiplayer has always been a part of the Skate series, this is the first time that the primary focus is on a massively multiplayer experience.
The New Skate Has Been A Long Time Coming
I Used To Pray For Times Like This
Even if it's early access, news about an official skate. release date is more than welcome. My inbox will be happy to finally escape a steady supply of playtest invites, and September will give the game some breathing room before the holiday season heats up.
The free-to-play approach will likely come with some controversy, but at any rate, the playtests left a strong impression regarding the bones of the game. The most important thing in any skateboarding game is that doing tricks needs to feel good, and that's definitely the case here. Even if cool cosmetics and other features end up being locked behind paywalls, nothing can take away from the simple joy of a kickflip.
It's a big year for skateboarding games, with skate. following the recent release of Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3+4. There's certainly room for both to co-exist, as skate. focuses more on street skating and less on Tony Hawk's arcade-style vert skating, although both still have potential for ridiculous, gravity-defying tricks. The wait for a new Skate game has been a painful one, but at long last, there are only a few more weeks to go.
