Is Skate 4 Finally On The Way?
The Skate series is one of the biggest fan-favorite franchises, and new footage has been leaked that might point to Skate 4 finally being made.
It would appear the wait is finally over, and Skate 4, the fourth installment in the Skate skateboarding sim, is on its way — despite EA games trying repeatedly trying to hide the fact and remove leaked information. Admittedly, the game was first revealed by EA in June 2020 and sets out to revive the long-dormant skating franchise that’s praised as the number one skating video game by both Lords of the Boards and gaming critics. Sorry Tony Hawk, your games just aren’t the same since the 2016 hiatus.
As reported by Kotaku, Skate 4, which is still in very early development, continues the tradition of realistic gameplay and physics set by the game’s predecessors. The original Skate was all the hype when it was released for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 back in 2007. It featured a unique “flick it” control system whose development started long before any graphics were implemented and has carried over to two Skate sequels.
It was a fantastic control system, which allowed gamers to use thumb-sticks for popping ollies, or flip the board, by flicking the sticks with various intensities in various directions to pull off different stunts. Though it was difficult to master at first, this control system is what essentially propelled the Skate franchise over Tony Hawk’s skating games — at least in true skaters’ hearts. Luckily, the same control system will be used in the upcoming Skate 4 if the game’s early footage is credible.
The early game footage was captured by an unnamed gamer who had the privilege to participate in the closed testing of the Skate 4 game. Unfortunately, the EA had since removed the video from various smaller streaming platforms, but not before GamesBeat’s Jeff Grubb posted the clip to his Twitter account, where it racked up stunning 334,000 views — forever remembered by Twitters residents. Unfortunately, the footage isn’t very clear-cut, as it clearly showcases a prototype of the game, but the iconic Skate gameplay is very discernable.
The removed and reposted footage also reveals some off-board parkour shenanigans, as the player’s avatar does a front flip on a flat surface, in line with the realism the gaming series offers. However, jumping off a ledge and performing a double flip resulted in the player’s avatar being temporarily injured, as they experienced a close encounter of a third kind (direct contact) with the concrete. Other than a few short tricks and stunts, the 30-seconds clip doesn’t have anything other to offer.
Unfortunately, the timeline of the Skate 4 video game can’t be discerned from the leaked video clip. However, the level of details in the footage would suggest that we won’t see a gameplay showcase in the following six months, though this is purely speculation on our part. Last year, EA said that the game wasn’t ready for a “prime time” showcase, pushing the showcase to early or late autumn. The company also canceled one of its major events, which is typically hosted around E3, which was also canceled this year.
