Skate’s Long-Term Bet: Building a Community-Driven Future
▼ Summary
– Skate is a free-to-play, live-service reboot of the series launching in early access on September 16, 15 years after Skate 3.
– The game features San Vansterdam, a fictional city taken over by a corporation, but the narrative is weak and lacks a strong identity.
– Core gameplay retains the Flick-It trick system with new additions like parkour and air tricks, though movement can feel floaty and impact physics are inconsistent.
– Progression relies heavily on completing varied challenges, including skating and non-skating objectives, which can become repetitive and may require backtracking.
– The live-service model includes multiplayer hubs for up to 150 players, monetization for clothing via real money or loot boxes, and seasonal content updates planned.
Fifteen years after the last mainline entry, the skateboarding game landscape has transformed dramatically. While the Tony Hawk series explored experimental directions and indie titles like Session and Skater XL pursued realism, a noticeable void remained where the Skate franchise once thrived. Now, developer Full Circle, staffed by series veterans, has unveiled Skate, a free-to-play live-service revival set to launch in early access. This new iteration aims to blend nostalgic mechanics with modern online trends, placing a heavy emphasis on community-driven gameplay and long-term engagement.
Set in the fictional city of San Vansterdam, the game introduces a narrative framework where skaters resist corporate control by M-Corp. While the story serves mostly to contextualize missions and tours, it currently lacks depth and strong characterization. The tone feels uneven, with dialogue that sometimes misses the mark and a world that struggles to establish a compelling identity. Despite these narrative shortcomings, the real focus remains on the skating experience itself.
The beloved Flick-It control system makes a welcome return, allowing players to perform tricks through intuitive right-stick gestures. New additions like extended late tricks and variable flip speeds add fresh layers to the trick repertoire. However, the physics feel slightly floatier than in past titles, which can disrupt the flow during precision-based challenges. Line trials, where players must maintain momentum while collecting bearings, highlight occasional frustrations with collision and balance.
A significant shift comes with the introduction of parkour and airborne stunts, which expand movement options but also tilt the experience toward arcade-style antics. Players can now scale buildings, leap from skyscrapers, and land in specific targets, a departure from the grounded skate simulation of earlier games. This expanded mobility offers vertical exploration but may divide purists who prefer traditional street skating.
Progression in Skate is tied closely to completing challenges, which range from trick lines to environmental objectives. Earning challenge points unlocks story missions, though pacing can stall when players must backtrack to gather enough points to advance. The variety helps maintain interest, though some objectives begin to feel repetitive when tackled in bulk.
Multiplayer lies at the heart of Skate’s live-service vision, with lobbies supporting up to 150 players in shared hubs. During preview sessions, player encounters were sparse, making it difficult to gauge how populated servers will affect the experience. Cooperative challenges proved enjoyable when other players were present, though synchronization issues could arise if one player failed a section.
Customization plays a major role, with clothing and accessories earned through challenges or purchased via microtransactions. The reward system leans heavily on Product Boxes, free loot boxes tied to player level, which distribute items randomly rather than through direct selection. This can lead to frustration when hunting for specific gear. The current clothing options skew toward bland designs, diminishing the sense of stylistic achievement.
Music also presents a mixed bag. While licensed tracks from artists like Turnstile and MF Doom appear, the majority of the soundtrack consists of royalty-free music. The Grabbster feature, which lets players “collect” songs from in-world speakers, often highlights this disparity when unlicensed tunes dominate a session.
Skate enters early access with an expected year-long development runway. Seasonal updates, a battle pass, and potential brand collaborations are planned, aligning the game with service titles like Fortnite. Full Circle aims to cater to both returning fans and newcomers, though the current build feels like a safe, sometimes disjointed foundation. Whether it can balance its arcade additions with simulation roots will determine its staying power.
The game launches free-to-play on September 16 for PlayStation, Xbox, and PC, with a mobile version to follow.
(Source: Gamespot)