Skate 4: Trailers, Leaks & Everything We Know
One of the biggest requests of EA for years has been for them to remake or reboot the Skate series. Skating games were in a slump for a while as they seemingly lost popularity in the mainstream, but there was still a diehard contingent of fans asking for more, spamming comment sections and livestream chats with "Skate 4 when?" With the Tony Hawks series back, it only makes sense for the return of Skate, so here is everything we know about the upcoming Skate 4.
Is There A Skate 4 Release Date?
As sad as it is to say, we have no inkling of when it’ll be released, as there isn’t even a vague Skate 4 release date yet for the next title. During the development update released earlier this year, game director Deran Chung revealed that it was still in super early development so with that in mind, expect at least a year or two before we can play it. The same video does show us that some fans have been fortunate enough to watch early gameplay, so it’s likely out of the prototyping stage and in some form of tangible development right now at least.
It’s been about 11 years since Skate 3 came out, so the release of the sequel almost seems as mythical as a third Portal or Half-Life right now - but confirmation of development is a strong sign we’ll eventually get it. Worry not!
Skate 4 Trailers
There have been two trailers so far. The initial announcement teaser, which finally confirmed the game’s existence, whilst revealing the original minds behind the series would return. Deran Chung and Cuz Perry were confirmed to be back as the game director and creative director respectively, which eased the minds of fans of the series and gave it a sense of legitimacy that was urgently needed after years away from the spotlight.
The second trailer was a more concrete announcement that the game was being made, with footage of the directors promising to not “f*** it up.” There were also some lucky fans who got the chance to see and play some of the game early, and we see their reactions to experiencing the game in real time. It’s certainly enjoyable to see their positive responses, but watching others live the dream of every Skate fan does somewhat sting.
Excitingly, the most impressive aspect of the trailer is the footage of skaters in mocap suits performing tricks and grinds. It’s an informative look into the technology Full Circle will use to bring skating to life in their next iteration of the series, and a good signal for how the skating will feel.
Skate 4 Gameplay
The Tony Hawk’s franchise ruled the realm of skating in video games for quite some time, with it’s infectious soundtracks and arcade-like skating built around performing the most outrageous lines possible. Skate came in to change things up however, and did so with a sense of grounded realism in the mechanics of the skating and environment. It’s true that it may have lacked the flash of Tony Hawk’s, but Skate made up for it with tighter controls and greater depth.
We have recently seen some leaked pre-alpha footage of Skate 4 courtesy of Jeff Grub on Twitter. The footage shows some very early gameplay, so the graphics and assets are clearly a WIP still. The focus seems to be on the animations and feel of the skating, which the team are reportedly focusing on perfecting before anything else. This is a good sign of the progress that the game is making so far.
Skate 4 Platforms
So far the only confirmed launch platform is PC, which is interesting considering the originals were console-exclusive - a fact that still annoys many Skate fans to this day. Although unconfirmed, it’s also likely to be released on the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. However, an old-gen version seems more and more unlikely the longer development takes, as we’re already a year into the current generation. When Skate 4 platforms are confirmed, we'll be sure to update this and let you know more.
