Publisher EA and developer Full Circle have revealed more details about the upcoming skateboarding game Skate. Through a new blog post featuring a Q&A, the studio has revealed that it will be an online-only game with no support for offline play. The studio has also reiterated that it is planning for an Early Access launch in 2025.
“We are still planning on launching in Early Access later this year,” posted the studio on the official website. “We have an ambitious vision for skate.: an ever-growing, ever-evolving skateboarding sandbox that expands over time with the feedback of the players living in San Vansterdam. Our Early Access launch will only be Day One of that experience, a starting point from which new features, improvements, and content will be added over time.”
The studio has also expanded on the fact that the Early Access version of Skate will not be considered a “finished version” of the game. Rather, development will continue on the game throughout its Early Access launch. At launch, Skate will feature the core gameplay, with more content planned for later.
“We don’t consider the Early Access launch the ‘finished version’ of skate., and neither should you,” the studio explained. “But the skateboarding experience will be great, and you’ll have tons to do with your friends in San Vansterdam.”
Regarding an offline mode, however, the studio wrote that the game has been designed from the ground up as a constantly evolving, online-only game. Throughout its life, players will be able to find new content, live events, and even changes made to the in-game city.
“The simple answer: No,” wrote the studio about an offline mode. “The game and city are designed to be a living, breathing massively multiplayer skateboarding sandbox that is always online and always evolving. You’ll see bigger things evolve, like changes to the city over time, as well as smaller things, like live events and other in-game activities. To deliver on our vision of a skateboarding world, the game will always require a live connection. That is probably not much of a surprise if you’ve been in our playtest.”
Further expanding on the state of development of Skate during its playtest, the studio has also explained why the game already features microtransactions. The decision was made to allow the studio to continue development on the game as it gets closer to launch.
“We know that using real money during a playtest is a little unusual, but we think it’s the best way to properly assess and adjust the system before launch,” explained the studio. “If you see prices or other things changing over time, please understand that this is normal. And, of course, you will receive the amount you spent during playtesting in San Van Bucks (SVB) when we reset for the Early Access launch.”
Skate is currently in development for PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S, with playtests currently underway for PC and PS5. Xbox Series X/S players will have a chance later, so stay tuned for updates.
