It's been nearly a decade and a half since the last Skate game was released, but veterans won't have to wait much longer to tear up the streets once again. The next entry in the arcade-y skateboarding series launches into early access on Sept. 16.
The franchise reboot (just named "Skate") was developed by Full Circle, a studio composed of much of the same talent that worked on the original games.
After a long drought, skateboarding game fans have dined well on the compilation remakes of Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 and 2, along with Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 and 4. The Skate series has always been a bit different, emphasizing freeform skating with its unique control scheme of flicking the controller joysticks in different directions to achieve tricks, which has been faithfully rebuilt in the new game.
Even so, many fans of the series who would be otherwise excited for its return have their hackles raised, and I can't blame them.
That's because Skate is launching as a free-to-play, mainly online game in the "live service" fashion, with plans to continue releasing content for players to earn or buy. That might be a red flag for fans of the older offline single-player games, who may have grown weary of live service games that pressure players to play with limited-time events and to buy rare in-game items.
But after getting the chance to play Skate alongside dozens of other press members and influencers during an online prelaunch preview, I'm hopeful this might be one of the best examples of how live service games can work for developers and gamers alike. It feels like an experiment that developers poured their heart and soul into.
San Vansterdam is designed so that everything can be skated on. That includes food trucks, overpasses and more. Full Circle
Community, collaboration and nailing tricks with your friends
The developer Full Circle aims to keep player freedom at the core of the new Skate game. The setting is the sprawling fictional city of San Vansterdam, designed to allow you to pull off whatever trick you want, wherever you want, whenever you want. Every street corner has some sort of attraction that implicitly encourages you to get big air, grind a long rail or climb a building to soar your board through the skies.
The game's simple promise of letting players make their own fun at every juncture is a return to the series' roots. The reason it works so well is that you're surrounded by dozens of other players exploring the world, too.
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