Skate 4, aka Skate, is about to bring back the skating parkour craze and the surreal rag-doll mechanics. A standalone game in the Skate series, it will be the first to be released following Skate 3 in 2010.
EA Sports confirmed the development of the game in June 2020 during the EA Play event. It has since been in alpha testing and the developments have been shared by Electronic Arts throughout the year.
Skate 4 Release Date & Platforms
EA hasn’t disclosed any official date or given any timeline for Skate’s release. The game completed its first year of playtests in June this year. According to the official blog, the playtesting was done on PC while the console version of playtesting will be done soon.
Electronic Arts confirmed in August 2021 that Skate will be available on Microsoft Windows and Mac. It was also mentioned that it would be playable on both consoles, PlayStation and Xbox, but it wasn’t specified if it would be exclusive to the next-gen versions.
That changed when Skate updated its FAQ section. According to the blog, Skate 4 is set to be available on Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and PC, and they are also planning to release it on mobile. The 13+ year-long wait has led them to set their sights on each platform.
Given that Skate 4 is still in the alpha stages, we can assume that it will be released sometime in 2024. The mobile version may take time since optimizing and making it compatible with Android and IOS could require months of development.
Skate 4 Features
The free-to-play Skate 4 will take place on a brand new city map called San Vansterdam. Developers also mentioned that maps won’t be behind a paywall and there won’t be any loot box system or Pay-2-Win mechanics. They wanted fans to experience the game regardless of price and platform.
A piece of good news, Skate 4 will be cross-platform and cross-play, meaning that players from PlayStation, Xbox, and PC devices can group and play. This will be a step ahead to modernizing the skate gameplay since cross-progression was not available in 2010.
The latest footage of alpha tests dropped by EA clearly shows that they are more focused on gameplay at this moment rather than the map or environment features. One such scene in the videos shows the player seamlessly jumping over a car, emphasizing new levels of parkour, and people doing pull-ups rather than skateboarding.
There will be a lot to do in Skate 4 other than skating. Players can customize their appearances by optional in-app purchases of skins and cosmetics before engaging in multiplayer events. They will also be able to do new flips and tricks as listed by EA:-
- Wallies
- Slappies
- Boned ollies
- Variable speed flip tricks
- Held flip tricks
You will also be able to combine two or more tricks. For example, “having the ability to powerslide into a slappy and lean out.” Flumping, the ability to climb up a wall while speeding with a skateboard, is also going to be introduced in the game.
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