EA's highly anticipated revival of the Skate franchise will necessitate a constant internet connection. This was confirmed in an updated FAQ section on the official blog by developer Full Circle, who provided a straightforward "No" when asked if the game could be played offline. They elaborated, stating, "The game and city are designed to be a living, breathing massively multiplayer skateboarding sandbox that is always online and always evolving. You’ll see bigger things evolve, like changes to the city over time, as well as smaller things, like live events and other in-game activities."
The requirement for an "always on" connection means that the game cannot be enjoyed offline, even for those who prefer solo play. Full Circle emphasized that this decision is integral to their vision of creating an interconnected skateboarding world, explaining, "to deliver on [its] vision of a skateboarding world, the game will always require a live connection."
This move may not come as a surprise to those who have participated in the playtests. Full Circle noted, "That is probably not much of a surprise if you’ve been in our playtest," referring to the Always-On Playtest that began in September 2024. This new phase aims to test the game in a continuously live environment, with servers operating 24/7.
Skate is slated for an early access release in 2025, though an exact date has yet to be announced. Originally unveiled at EA Play back in 2020, the game was described as being in its very early stages of development. Since then, Full Circle has kept the community engaged through closed community playtests of early builds and, most recently, by introducing microtransactions.
Players can now use real money to purchase a virtual currency called San Van Bucks, which can then be used to acquire cosmetic items. Full Circle is keen on testing Skate’s microtransaction system, aiming to ensure a "positive experience when purchasing items from the Skate store." They acknowledged the unusual nature of using real money during a playtest but justified it as the best approach to fine-tune the system before the official launch. They added, "We know that using real money during a playtest is a little unusual, but we think it’s the best way to properly assess and adjust the system before launch. If you see prices or other things changing over time, please understand that this is normal. And of course, you will receive the amount you spent during playtesting in San Van Bucks (SVB) when we reset for Early Access launch."
