The Skate series may not be as quite as much of a name to the casual ear as Tony Hawk's, but those in the know will tell you that Skate was the more pure representation of the art of skating; realistic moves, more frequent falls, and even learning to grind had something of a learning curve. After a 12-year hiatus, EA announced back in February that the series would be returning "soon", and now it looks like we have our first glimpse of what the game will sort-of vaguely look like.
Games journo Jeff Grubb put out a tweet this morning apparently showing pre-alpha footage of Skate 4.
This is Skate 4 pre-alpha footage. This is in line with what I've heard about where the game is at from multiple people. They're trying to get the feel right, which is probably the most important aspect of a Skate game. https://t.co/AXNV2Agk6z pic.twitter.com/nUINhghxLgApril 20, 2022
The 30-second clip doesn't really show us what the game will look like, as clearly the focus in the clip is on the mechanics rather than graphics (which I'd describe as being what a PS2-era skating game set in the world of 'Doug' would look like).
The clip does, however, gives some hints of flow, animation, and the character running around on foot a fair bit. As Grubb comments, "It looks like the emphasis is on the fluidity of the animation, and it seems like EA is making good on its desire to give all its devs ample time to prototype (the Respawn method)."
Obviously, it's still pretty rough, but you have to admire the realistic impact physics when the player double front-flips off a 20-foot high wall and lands on their feet only for their legs to crumple beneath them. I'm also curious based on this clip whether there will be an option to clamber up onto ledges to reach places that otherwise you'd have to skate around to get to.
The new Skate game has been in the works since at least early 2020, with EA announcing in June that year that it was "in very early development". In August 2021, the Skate Twitter page teased that it would be coming to PC too, which will make it the first game in the series to hit our beloved platform.
But this isn't 2010 any more; the PC is well catered for skating games these days with the likes of Skater XL, Session and the Tony Hawk's remakes, so the next Skate will be facing some serious competition.
