Skate developer Full Circle recently confirmed that its upcoming reboot will not include an offline mode. The decision by the dev team stems from the game’s design philosophy: both the world and the city of San Vansterdam are intended to be “living, breathing,” and part of a “massively multiplayer skateboarding sandbox” that is “always online and always evolving,” according to Full Circle’s recent web post.
It appears Skate will be taking a Fortnite live service approach to the title, as San Vansterdam, the setting of the title, will gradually change as time goes on, with the developers noting “smaller things, like live events and other in-game activities.” The post continues, “In order to deliver on our vision of a skateboarding world, the game will always require a live connection.”
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Skate’s Always Online and Microtransaction Issues
Skate is being published by one of the biggest companies in the industry
Skate began its Always-On, invite-only playtest in September 2024 and is slated to be a free-to-play title when the game eventually releases. As such, many fans expected the title to always need an online connection. However, some fans of the original titles who aren’t part of the playtest may not be aware, since the franchise has always had an offline mode.
The news raises concerns about Skate‘s long-term accessibility, as the title may not remain playable once its servers are inevitably shut down. Publisher Electronic Arts has a history of discontinuing online support for its games, and it is planning on shutting down over 13 games in 2025 alone. Adding to the unease is Full Circle’s handling of microtransactions, which were introduced during Skate’s closed alpha test in March, a move that drew criticism from players.
“We know that using real money during a playtest is a little unusual,” Full Circle said in its web post. “But we think it’s the best way to properly assess and adjust the system before launch.”
The dev team also noted that “if you see prices or other things changing over time, please understand that this is normal. And of course, you will receive the amount you spent during playtesting in San Van Bucks (SVB) when we reset for Early Access launch,” which sounds like fans won’t even keep what they use the currency on.
The Skate reboot was initially announced in 2020 and still doesn’t have an official release date. The original Skate debuted in 2007, with its sequel releasing in 2009 and Skate 3 following up in 2010. In contrast, the reboot has already spent more time in development than it took to launch the entire original series. Published by EA, the new Skate is currently expected to enter Early Access sometime in 2025.
An indie dev team utilizing microtransactions in a playtest for investment or financing is one thing, but with backing from a big publisher, EA. it feels like just another way to offset expenses.
While Skate is expected to support cross-play and cross-progression, the current state of the playtest, riddled with glitches, raises doubts about whether the game will be truly ready for Early Access, let alone its full release. Still, it seems the monetization systems are already well on their way.
Source: Electronic Arts
