Skate 3 was released 12 years ago now, remember, this skate game which had been acclaimed by the press and the players. He offered to perform tricks, stunts and broken knees galore. The development of a next opus was announced in 2020. It was entrusted to a brand new studio created for the occasion: Full Circle. We now know that it will be called Skate and it was on July 14, 2022, through a video on the official game channel, that the developers gave us more details on the progress of the project.
What is Full Circle?
It was under special circumstances, namely the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, that this new studio was created. Several professionals, mostly dispersed in North America, have joined Full Circle to work on this new opus. Among these talents, there are new to the industry, but also members of the original team who have already worked on the license.
A new format, both disruptive and continuous
If the development team claims to have at heart to retransmit the unique sensations of this license, it still wants to make a break. This is the reason why there will be no regular iterations. This desire is represented by a sober title, simply Skate. The ambition is to install the game over time, to keep it alive over several years with feedback from players and to expand its content as it goes along. Full Circle displays its desire to integrate its fans very early in development and to model its work on the feelings of the public. For several months now, a handpicked group has had access to a pre-alpha version. This panel is also in the process of expanding, since we can currently register to potentially be part of this test group and contribute to the progress of the project.
Skate will also contrast with its predecessors in that it will be free-to-play, cross-play, cross-progression, cross-gen, on Xbox, PlayStation and PC consoles. There are also plans to eventually make it a mobile version. Dan McCulloch, General Manager of Full Circle, however, insists that the micro-transactions that will be present will be purely cosmetic. Thus, they will not unlock certain exclusive areas or accelerate progress.
The content in question
The multiplayer aspect is highlighted. “CollaboZones” will be scattered here and there. These will be “sandboxes” where the watchword will be collaboration. It will be possible to join forces to build courses. Full Circle says it’s focusing on gameplay first and not making art direction a priority right now. Beyond that, few things to put in their mouths for now.
No release window is communicated by the development studio at this time. The latter prefers to take his time to provide a successful game and carried out in the best possible conditions.