The much-lauded and oft-neglected Skate franchise is making a comeback back this year, as Skate 4 is slated to release in early access. Skate 4 (stylized as skate.) will be the first new game in the series since 2010, when Skate 3 took virtual daredevils to Port Carverton, setting them loose in an open-world with simulation-style controls and decidedly less-realistic physics.
But tragically, Skate 3 and its younger siblings are still not available on modern devices. None of the Skate games are available on consoles other than the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, nor can they be accessed on PC without emulators or steaming services like Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. This is somewhat surprising, as the Skate games are often praised as some of the best extreme sports games ever made, with many venturing as far as saying they are superior to the likes of Tony Hawk's Pro Skater—a franchise that is notably more available thanks to remasters of the first two entries. As EA prepares the rollout of Skate 4, it only makes sense for the original trilogy to see the light of day once again.
Why a Rerelease of the Original Skate Trilogy Is a No-Brainer
Introducing a New Generation of Players to Skate
For those plugged into the gaming world in the late 2000s and early 2010s, the prominence and prestige of the Skate franchise is undeniable. But many younger gamers have little to no experience with the so-called "Xbox 360 era," only starting their gaming journeys with the PS4 or Xbox One. For this demographic, the original Skate games may be little more than an echo of the past, a relic discussed by older, more seasoned players, or else those with a particular affinity for older games. There's also the matter of gaming's explosion in mainstream popularity in the past decade: countless gamers, regardless of age, have only gotten into the hobby in the past few years, so games like the original Skate trilogy are blind spots, as it were.
While Skate 4 may have the cultural cache to attract fans of the original series, and fans of skateboarding in general, it could certainly benefit from casting a wider net. The fact is, thousands or perhaps even millions of gamers have no experience with the Skate series, and with the older games being next to impossible to access on modern hardware, that's not likely to change ahead of Skate 4. This is where a re-release of some sort could come in, benefitting both the franchise and the gaming community at large.
As a live-service game, Skate 4 will be even more beholden to consumer expectations and demands than it would be otherwise. Having easy access to the "pure" Skate games would create informed consumers who know what to expect and demand.
What a Skate Trilogy Rerelease Could Look Like
The advantages of a Skate trilogy rerelease may be somewhat obvious, but the form that such a project would take is decidedly less so. In today's modern games industry, for better or worse, recycled products are becoming increasingly prominent: ports, remasters, and remakes reign supreme, with publishers being bullish on such endeavors, likely due to the perception that they will have a built-in audience.
It's probably a bit unrealistic to expect an ambitious, ground-up reinvisioning of the original Skate games ala EA's Dead Space remake, but this also wouldn't be necessary. The first three Skate games, especially Skate 2 and Skate 3, hold up remarkably well today, so a simple port, perhaps with higher resolutions, FPS options, and a few other bells and whistles, would be sufficient for the purposes outlined above. Plus, keeping the original games intact could help Skate 4's more modern presentation stand out: EA wouldn't have to worry about audiences viewing the older games through rose-tinted glasses, thereby disregarding the ostensible progress made with Skate 4.
- Released
- January 1, 2022
- ESRB
- t
- Publisher(s)
- Electronic Arts
- Engine
- Frostbite
- Franchise
- Skate
WHERE TO PLAY
The upcoming fourth entry in the skateboarding series, officially now called skate., is an upcoming video game from Full Circle and Electronic Arts. For now, the game has been confirmed to be free-to-play.
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows
- Genre(s)
- Sports
