The long-awaited return of EA’s Skate franchise, simply called Skate, is getting closer and closer to an eventual release with a console playtest confirmed for later this year.
At Summer Game Fest in early June, the team at EA showed off pre-pre-alpha footage, which many focused on a team of skaters grinding around San Vansterdam, to the chagrin of the adversarial corporation M-Corp. In the trailer, the devs don’t promise an official date, but ensured players they’re “still working on it” right now.
In the trailer, the skaters climb all over the bright and colorful city, dropping ramps and turning anything into a skate-able surface. One of the prevalent themes of the Skate franchise has been the battle between skaters and authority, whether it be cops or corporations, and it looks like that’s returning for the next installment in the series.
The next playtest has been confirmed for this fall, and players can join by signing up for the Skate insider program. Playtests up until this point have been closed, and participants have been prohibited from showing “videos, captures, screenshots or streaming,” so outside of this latest teaser there hasn’t been much in terms of official footage.
The Skate series has been a long-time favorite amongst players that grew up on Tony Hawk, but players have now been waiting over 14 years for a new game after Skate 3 released in 2010. The series regularly features prominent names in the pro skateboarding scene, and outside the skating gameplay, the series is beloved for its reliance on comedic ragdoll physics.
This next game in the Skate series has been in long development for some time now, as it was originally revealed back at a June 2020 EA Play event.
