Iconic game returns after 15 years with free early-access launch
With the gaming world so obsessed with remakes and remasters its rare that an iconic series can be abandoned for so long, yet one fan favorite collection is finally getting a new entry after a decade and a half of silence from its developer.
Sports titles are generally maligned by the wider gaming community for their repetitive nature, which is mostly a consequence of the yearly releases that games like EA FC, Madden, and NBA 2K subject themselves to.
However, one sport that has been left neglected for a while, at least in the mainstream, is skateboarding, as despite being the subject of some of the medium's most iconic titles, there hasn't been a big new release for a while.
Indie games like Session and Skater XL have somewhat filled the gap, and we have thankfully seen remakes of the classic Tony Hawk games that dominated the PS1 and PS2 era, yet an eyes now lie on another iconic series that has since laid dormant for over 15 years.
What iconic game series is returning after 15 years?
EA's Skate series is finally getting its fourth entry over a decade and a half after the last title, Skate 3, was released on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, with an early access reboot launching onto PlayStation, Xbox, and PC.
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Taking a look at the comments on any EA video, live stream, or social media post between roughly 2014 and 2020 would allow you to see the barrage of comments from fans asking for Skate 4, to the point where it became a bit of a meme akin to other recent long-awaited announcements.
Many had started to lose hope that EA were ever going to capitalize on the overwhelming demand for a follow-up as the years went by, yet in 2020 a full reboot of the series was announced during an EA Play Live event.
At the time it was just an announcement in every sense of the word, as the game that is simply referred to as 'skate.' was in the earliest stages of development, but finally five years later we've reached a point where everyone can dive straight in.
When will skate. be released?
An early access release date trailer shown on Tuesday revealed that the 'next evolution' of the Skate franchise would be officially launching into early access on September 16, 2025 — and the best part is that it's completely free.
Of course, entirely free to play models don't really exist anymore in the gaming landscape, as there are a number of aspects inside the game that have been monetized, but it remains still a game that you can pick up and play for no extra cost.
While there are plenty of people that are excited about the return of this iconic franchise, many others have been left disappointed by what's been shown so far and are going into the early access launch with little hype.
"Man... that first teaser trailer from a few years ago almost feels like false advertising now," writes one comment underneath the trailer, with another adding that they "love Skate 3 and it's sad how I am not hyped."
It remains to be seen whether players will be won over once they actually manage to get their feet on the griptape, but it could end up being a big disappointment considering how long people have had to wait for any form of sequel.