More than three years after revealing “pre-pre-pre-alpha” footage of its new Skate title, EA has finally announced that the free-to-play live service game will be launching for everyone in early access on September 16th.
The game takes place in the city of “San Vansterdam,” where you can cruise around to find places to pull off tricks, take on challenges, or just hang out with your friends. Skate uses a rebuilt version of the “Flick-It” control system from the original Skate games, so if you’re familiar with the older titles, you should be able to jump right into the new version. And EA has built in a lot of social features into the new Skate, including the ability to drop things like ramps and rails right into the world that you and the other skaters nearby can use. Up to 150 skaters can be in a server at a time.
You’ll be able to buy in-game cosmetics for your custom skater from the in-game shop, though they’re optional and don’t provide any gameplay benefit. Like other free-to-play live service games, Skate will have seasonal content and its version of a battle pass with free and paid rewards.
The new Skate will be available on PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X / S, Xbox One, and PC, and it will support crossplay and cross-progression. A mobile version for iOS and Android is in development as well.
