The Next Skate Game To Be A Free-To-Play, Live-Service Title

When engaging with the anticipation that follows the next Skate game, excited players are hungry for any new details that come their way. For certainty, developer Full Circle – a team comprised of original Black Box employees and new – confirmed already the game is early development. Previously, the team made this clear with a trailer sharing no gameplay, and the transparency was appreciated to say the least.

Additionally, the game studio went on to share that the next mainline entry will be breaking new boundaries with a fully supported PC release for the first time. But most recently Full Circle revealed it is opening doors to select users to sample a very early build on the game. At the time, it was pressed the title will officially welcome testers later this year on PC.

On Thursday, Full Circle held its first ‘The Board Room’ to speak on everything Skate for the new project. Among confirming the titling is simply “Skate”, the game studio also verified that the release whenever it arrives will be shipping as a free-to-play experience. You can watch the segment of the presentation in the video below:

“We wanted to remove as many barriers to entry as possible, so that everyone can play together on day one, regardless of price of platform. So, that’s why the next Skate game will be a free-to-play title available to gamers around the world,” Isabelle Mocquard, Head of Product Management revealed. Full Circle General Manager Dan McCulloch reiterated on the decision by elaborating on the game embracing microtransactions.

“When we decided to explore this model, we made some hard ground rules to follow. The first one is that SKATE is not pay-to-win. There are no areas of gameplay or the map that you will have to pay to unlock. There won’t be any lootboxes. And there’s no game-altering advantages that you can pay for as well.” The team further explained that successful IPs like Apex Legends are direct inspiration for the decision to cultivate an experience for the fans.

Elsewhere in the video, the developer shared its intent of the free-to-play model is to keep the game from being divided. In previous entries, paid add-ons only separated players further and the new game is to strive away from that; plays into part with the cross-play & cross-progression. The firm also hinted at a new CollaboZones where players congregate and create a spot collaboratively.

What are you most excited about the new information for the next Skate game?