Highlights
- Skate is making a comeback as a live service, free-to-play title without pay-to-win features.
- In a new dev diary, it was revealed that the iconic Flick-It system has been rebuilt for better accuracy and control in performing tricks.
- The game will also feature a dynamic soundtrack that will change over time as well as enhanced customization.
It may be hard to believe, but a new Skate game will be coming to consoles. It’s been in the works for some time now, and it will be a live service, free-to-play title. It will not be pay-to-win, it won’t have paid loot boxes and no part of its map will be locked behind a paywall, according to developer Full Circle. With that said, EA revealed a console playtest set for this fall during Summer Game Fest, and, on Monday, a new dev diary shared more insight into the game.
For starters, the iconic Flick-It system has been rebuilt. The Flick-It system has been a staple of the Skate series, and it allows players to perform various skateboarding tricks with a flick. Flicking the analog stick in all manner of directions corresponded with various moves. In many ways, the system emulated controlling the feet of a skateboarder and helped differentiate Skate from other skateboarding titles of its era.
Senior designer Reid Buckmaster shared how the team has improved the system by adding accuracy and control upgrades to make learning tricks easier. The end goal is to make tricks “feel as fun and satisfying to perform as ever.” In that same vein, Full Circle has developed a “streamlined controls” option to help new players get in on the fun with ease.
While details on the new controls are scarce, they appear to be following the example set forth by recent fighting games, including Street Fighter 6 and Tekken 8. Both of those games feature a modernized control system, where newcomers can execute unique combos without having to memorize specific inputs. In other words, there’s an option for everyone’s playstyle.
Skate Aims To Reward Players’ Time
Elsewhere in the diary, Sunny Lee, the game’s head of experience design, shared how Skate wants players to feel valued when they play. “Almost everything you do in the game will earn you rewards, allowing you to customize your character, board, or even unlock new objects to place in the world to create your own spots,” she explained.
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And when it comes to music, the developers promise to feature a dynamic soundtrack. After all, what’s a skateboarding game without some memorable tunes? According to the diary, Skate’s soundtrack will evolve over time, and it will be shaped by how players engage with music in the game. Skate will also serve as a hub for music discovery as well, which is reminiscent of older EA Sports titles with their iconic soundtrack listings.
“So we’re curating a soundtrack we think you’re going to love, and one that won’t remain static, and you’ll get bored of in a few months,” audio director Matthew Smith explained. “It will keep evolving over time and shaping that based on how you all listen to the music in the game. And it’s not just about the music you hear on headphones. We want San Van to be a world of music discovery, where you can come and discover new artists or new genres just by skating around the city.”
While there’s no concrete date for the full Skate experience, it certainly sounds like when the game does launch it’ll be a modernized take on the skateboarding genre with a focus on the elements that made the genre so popular to begin with, those elements being customization and music. And that certainly makes for an exciting release.
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