The upcoming Skate blew long-term fans of the franchise away when it was first revealed through leaks in back in April, and the game is now thoroughly dominating the discourse of the skating-game community and beyond. With the last franchise title releasing over a decade ago with Skate 3, fans are more than eager to dust off their boards after so long.
That being said, the hype surrounding Skate recently took a serious hit. With the announcement that the game is set to be live-service and free-to-play, many fans instantly thought of the worst that these kinds of games have offered historically, although it has come to light that these worries may be relatively unwarranted.
The Controversy Behind the Skate Announcements
The buzz surrounding the new Skate title has been stifled recently due to information that changed the shared opinion that many fans previously held about the game. With the announcement that Skate will be live-service and free-to-play, the prospects of the game went from sure-fire success to uncertainty. It is no secret that live-service games are inherently controversial, with many players instead wanting a title to be complete upon its release, without the need to be beefed-up with post-launch content. It can be said that this aspect of Skate is less important, though, with the fact that it is free-to-play being the dominant cause for concern for many within the franchise's community.
Free-to-play titles need to be monetized somehow, and microtransactions are the obvious and often inevitable answer. Given EA's shaky track record with microtransactions, it is no wonder that fans greeted the news of Skate's free-to-play model with worry and skepticism. Knowing the backlash that would ensue, EA has outlined the core features of Skate's free-to-play model and microtransactions, and they seem to be rather inoffensive compared to the examples that players have seen in the past.
Skate's Internal Free-to-play Rules
A core theme behind EA's outlining of Skate's microtransaction system is that it will be purely cosmetic. The company has been firm in its stance that any in-game payments offered within the title will not fall into the common trap of fostering the kind of "pay-to-win" environment that has marred the reputation of other games such as Diablo Immortal.
The clarification of Skate's business model also quelled another huge worry for fans by confirming that no areas in the game will be locked behind a paywall. With all areas simply being accessible through organic progression, it is clear that microtransactions will not have a tangible effect on in-game progress. Thankfully, EA has also confirmed that Skate will not include any form of paid lootboxes. With other EA franchises such as FIFA being infamous for lootbox mechanics, the absence of them in Skate has likely avoided swathes of controversy for the company.
Lastly in its efforts to soothe the unease amongst the community, EA has stated that Skate's in-game purchases will offer no paid gameplay advantages whatsoever. EA will ideally hold itself to these promises if its making them so far in advance of Skate's release, giving fans even further hope for an overall positive gameplay experience. It is largely rumored that Skate will feature its own season pass, but it can only be assumed that this will be a major source of the aforementioned cosmetic-based purchases that the game will include. Despite the largely warranted concerns that many fans voiced when Skate's business model was announced, little complaints can be made if it truly is limited to in-game cosmetics, given the intended scale and longevity of the title.
Skate is currently in development.