Skate’s developers say going free to play is a ‘natural evolution of the franchise’

Image: EA

Full Circle announced in a video on Thursday that their skateboarding game will be free to play. Fans have been asking for a Skate 3 follow-up for a long time, but this new title won't be the Skate 4 they might have been expecting.

Deran Chung, a creative director on Skate, said in an interview that the game is an evolution of the franchise and brings it to now and to the future. It is an evolution of the franchise, from 2010 to now, as well as where games are from then to now.

The game will be available on a number of platforms. The developers are looking at a mobile version as well. There is still a long way to go. In June, Full Circle released pre-pre-pre- alpha footage and invited players to sign up for a playtest, but they haven't given a release date for the game.

Image: EA

The way we are developing the game and the fact that we want to get players' feedback very, very early is what makes the word launch interesting. It will depend on what the list of things will be at launch. It depends on what our fans are saying. I can't give you that list because we want to build it with our players' feedback.

Chung told me that even though the game isn't locked yet, it's going to be skate. It is going to feel similar to skate. The game is going to be a skate game.

TheCollaboZones are areas that can be built by players and appear in other people's worlds. A structure that looked like a skyscraper-tall pachinko board was one of the examples that Full Circle showed off in Thursday's video.

You don't know what's happening in the city when you jump in. It was like, 'Oh, shit, what is that?' when you jumped in. Is it like a Plinko wall? I need to take a look at that. You can make CollaboZones that will show up in the world.

There is a serious risk of misuse with any real-time and collaborative creation tool like that. The team is serious about moderation.

It is something that we are aware of and know that we will need to be policing. You won't have to live in fear with our game. There are no guns or violence in this game. In our game, there is no such thing. I think policing will be fun. We want to make sure that there is a safe place for everyone to come in and enjoy themselves.

The microtransactions are going to be about convenience and cosmetics. It is not a pay to win game. There won't be any hidden areas where you can play. The players won't be able to buy any changing advantages. The team believes that the best business models are based on respect, trust, and transparency, and they want to create a model that will allow them to continue investing into the game. Seasonal drops and live events are some of the things the team is considering.

Image: EA

The new game is backed by a big developer, but I am having trouble getting excited for it. It's hard for me to pack in any other players because I'm already a regular player ofFortnite. With more free-to-play games on the way, finding the time to play them isn't going to get any easier. It's a relief to pick up a game that ends.

I asked if a paid version of Skate was ever going to happen or if it was always going to be free to play. It has been that way for a long time. Chung said it was from the beginning. I don't know if it would have been a boxed product if I made it again. It makes sense for the franchise to cater to the community. I don't know if having an iterative title is a good idea. It seems like the natural evolution of the franchise and skating and games seems like the right thing for us to do.

Full Circle has a good approach to skate. The studio is trying to incorporate what the community wants early on, and that will hopefully result in a better game for the long term. The team had to make a statement in response to the leak. The free-to-play model helps differentiate the game from the others.

The chance to be a playtester is available if you want to give your own feedback on the game.