If one thing sold me on developer Full Circle’s new vision of a “living, breathing” Skate, it’s this: I’d hopped into a session with two friends and, after sampling a few challenges, we decided to make our own. We climbed to the top of a nearby skyscraper, set a session marker (letting us teleport back to the top), and skydived down to spawn a single ramp using the game’s Quick Drop tool. The challenge: can we successfully land on that ramp and keep skating after a 70-storey drop?

But what amazed me wasn’t that this bit of purely organic fun was possible – it was that, pretty soon, other players started joining in. Complete strangers started teleporting to us, watching what we were up to and (because Quick Drop items appear for all players in your session), trying it for themselves.

I’ve played every Skate game with something bordering on obsession since the series began and, after a 15-year wait for a fourth full instalment, there was always going to be some trepidation about how it had changed. With more than 30 hours of the Game Preview version now under my belt, I’m delighted to say that I needn’t have worried.

This new live-service take on the series feels less like a change for change’s sake, and more like a thoughtful approach to how this series can work in the modern gaming landscape – taking what we already know and love about the series, and layering in an evolving, collaborative approach.

“It has been a long time,” Head of Creative, Jeff Seamster tells me. “And while we’re doing a lot of new things, it’s our hope that players familiar with the series will immediately recognize the meticulous skateboarding design and depth of creative play that we all fell in love with from the previous Skate games.”

He’s not wrong. It might be free-to-play, it might be set in the new city of San Vansterdam, and it may still have some familiar features waiting to be added (as you’d expect from an early version) but, as a longtime fan, the first impression is that this is a Skate game, through and through.

Familiar tricks work exactly as I remember them, the freedom to play without objectives remains wholly intact – this feels like Skate, even in its new context. Better yet, that new context makes this a truly exciting proposition – this isn’t a game set in amber, there’s room to expand in nearly every direction. The city can change and grow, tricks can be added to the repertoire, new modes and challenges will appear.

“Having the ability to continue to expand on the game is probably the thing I’m most excited about as we enter Early Access,” says Executive Producer, Mike McCartney. “We will be releasing regular seasonal updates. Each one will be themed and contain new features, new stuff to skate, new content, new music and much more. 

“Additionally, each season will have regular themed events for players to participate in. Outside of the seasonal structure we will also be doing regular quality of life updates addressing bugs and the overall player experience.”

Full Circle is aiming to deliver those seasonal updates every 2 or 3 months, constantly building out from the baseline version of San Vansterdam. That will include new and returning tricks – new Handplants and Impossibles will arrive in Season 2, with Darkslides, Bonelesses, Finger Flips, and more coming later. All of these will unlock for all players – you won’t need to unlock them through in-game rewards. Updates will also increase the number of multiplayer modes:

“Oh if you could only see the thing we have in store…” Seamster teases. “Yes, we will be adding more competitive and cooperative modes of play throughout live service. Some of them will be familiar to veterans of the series and others will be brand spankin’ new. We’re trying out all kinds of things to see what really lands with our players.”

But perhaps the most exciting element of all this is how San Vansterdam itself will change. I’ve already had moments where I’ve discovered entire skate parks on top of buildings, hidden from view at ground level (and accessed by the excellent climbing system).

There are also Community Skateparks across the map that change each day, always offering something new to master. Add to that the Quick Drop feature, where entire groups of players can collaborate to create skate-able features anywhere in the world, for all the players around them, and it’s hugely malleable.

But it’s only going to get more interesting over time. San Vansterdam itself is primed to grow – there’s even a voiceline in the game that points out that one of the bridges is currently closed, seemingly teasing that we’ll be moving off of the island we’re skating on now. But the current neighborhoods are set to change, too.

“Existing areas will evolve over time, but not all at the same time,” says Seamster.  “Just like any good city planner, we’ll expand and improve where it’s needed most while preserving what makes San Van great. Our seasons will also incorporate various temporary installations to showcase either a specific event or seasonal celebration.”

And it’s not just about pointing players to what’s been added – the developers want people to explore. “Discovery is one of the most exciting things about our game,”  Seamster adds. “The verticality of San Van is one of the major growth areas for Skate, giving us a new way to build areas of play either incorporating or chaining together rooftop installations. And that’s just one of the ways we’re expanding the world over time.”

All of this begs the question – if this is the Game Preview version, what does a 1.0 version look like? Is there a finish line for this take on Skate?

“We don’t really think in terms of the game being finished,” says McCartney. “Our intent is to continually update the game with new features, content and improvements to keep our players engaged and having fun.  As we continue development we are excited to partner with our players to figure out where the game goes next.”

Which brings me back round to the anecdote I started with – Skate is encouraging its players not to just inhabit the same place, but play with it together. Where we gravitate to, what we build, the experiments we try together, are all a part of what this game is aiming for. But the most exciting thing? The developers are watching – what we choose to do together could change how the whole game evolves.

Skate arrives, for free, on Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One via Xbox Game Preview tomorrow, September 16.

skate.

Electronic Arts

☆☆☆☆☆
1

★★★★★

Get it now

The next evolution of the award-winning skate. franchise is here in Early Access.

Your new favorite hangout awaits.

PLAY TOGETHER IN A DYNAMIC SOCIAL WORLD
Drop into the dynamic, ever-evolving city of San Vansterdam – a city with a new lease on life, building its growing skate scene alongside its new residents. In San Van, no two days are alike, and fun waits around every corner in this online multiplayer world fueled by skateboarding, self expression and community.

EXPERIENCE TOTAL CONTROL
Skate through San Vansterdam’s streets, parks and plazas with improved Flick-It controls, play with physics to experience “only in skate.“ moments or hop off your board to explore on foot and climb to discover new spots at all heights across San Van.

From the rails and ledges to the rooftops and ramps, San Van is your canvas to find endless spots and fun as you immerse yourself in the city’s budding skate culture.

PAVE YOUR OWN PATH
Earn rewards, show-off and progress no matter how you want to play as you take on activities, challenges and events while exploring the city to develop your own style, favorite tricks and favorite spots.

There are countless possibilities to personalize and express yourself in San Vansterdam with a rich and growing suite of character customization options to create your own skater and an extensive inventory of hats, clothes, footwear and accessories, featuring some of the biggest brands in skateboarding and street fashion.

Make your board an extension of you and show off your style by building out your collection of decks, grip tape, wheels, trucks and stickers.

CREATE YOUR OWN FUN
Build new spots by placing skateable objects in the world in-real time with your Quick Drop items, create your own challenges against other skaters with Throwdowns across the city or roll into one of San Vansterdam’s many Community Parks to get the session going with your friends and fellow San Van residents.

Capture your biggest tricks, slams and moments on film with the Replay Editor to create your collection of photos and clips and then share them to highlight what you’ve been getting up to across the city.

CROSS-PLAY, CO-OP AND CROSS-PROGRESSION*
Skate with friends and the wider community across supported platforms with cross-play and 150 player servers. Want to party up? Take on cooperative challenges together for greater rewards. Cross-progression allows you to keep earning rewards and finding the fun no matter what platform you want to drop in on.

EARLY ACCESS IS JUST THE START
Early Access is only the beginning and the experience will continue to evolve and grow with your feedback helping shape the future of San Vansterdam.

The San Van City Council will bring ongoing and seasonal updates featuring new gameplay experiences and ways to play together, fresh rewards and gear, new locations and skate spots across the city, in-game events, soundtrack refreshes and more.

*Conditions & restrictions apply. See https://go.ea.com/Ln65Q for details.

This game includes optional in-game purchases of virtual currency that can be used to acquire virtual in-game items.
Conditions and restrictions apply. See ea.com/legal/legal-disclosures for details.