It is always a time to celebrate when a new Skate game update lands on our laps, and the latest news from EA studio Full Circle is set to please newcomers and seasoned shredders alike. The Skate developer reveals the inner-workings of the overhauled Flick-It system, a dynamic Skate soundtrack that changes with you, and how San Vansterdam is a combination of the flourishing art direction seen in previous games.
When the Skate release date finally rolls around, PS5 and Xbox players can look forward to relishing the joys of Full Circle’s rebuilt Flick-It system. “We’ve done a ton of work rebuilding Flick-It […] we’ve also added upgrades for improved accuracy and control, to make learning tricks easier, and to help hit those extra technical lines,” senior gameplay designer Rick Buckmaster explains. Skate won’t be limited to the set of tricks it contains at launch, either.
Buckmaster clarifies that the upcoming multiplayer game will add “new tricks and techniques down the line.” Don’t worry if you’re a complete newbie to the Skate games, though, because the new PS5 game will come equipped with a “streamlined controls option to new players join in the fun and shredding faster than ever.” The Skate reboot is built on the same technology powering EA’s FPS game franchise Battlefield, so while it is a departure from the franchise’s older Renderware engine, gameplay software engineer Lance Lawson promises that it will feel “familiar.”
If you’re like me, you loved that Skate 3 added extra juice for tricking, with additions like Dark Catches becoming an instant favorite. In combination with the franchise’s signature Flick-It system, EA Black Box cemented the last entry as one of the best sports games around. The implementation of fresh tricks after launch is enticing, especially when the current lineup of refined trickery includes the following, according to Full Circle:
- Slappies
- Boned Ollies
- Quick-Pop Ollies
- Wallies
- Powerslides
- Enhanced Transitions
- Pre-Wind Spins
- Roll-Ins
- Grind Bump-Outs
- Smoother Flip Tricks
Of course, no Skate game is complete without a banging soundtrack to blare through your best gaming headset or speakers. The original Skate had Nirvana and Devo, Skate 2 had Rage Against The Machine and Nas, Skate 3 had Them Crooked Vultures and Pixies. While Full Circle isn’t revealing the full Skate soundtrack yet, audio director Matthew Smith says that Skate’s music selection “won’t remain static […] it will keep evolving over time and shaping that based on how you all listen to music in the game.”
It isn’t just about the music you hear locally to you, as Smith adds that San Vansterdam is set to be a “world of musical discovery, where you can come and discover new artists and new genres by skating around the city.” If you’re eager to know what Full Circle’s music taste is like, I can tell you that previous Skate playtest complications have included tracks from the artists like Fontaines D.C, Bombay Bicycle Club, The Snuts, and Two Door Cinema Club. In fact, here’s a cheeky Spotify playlist by us, with all the songs Full Circle has used so far.
Skate’s rejuvenated Flick-It system and constantly changing soundtrack are cherry on top of San Vansterdam. Lead level designer Elliot Walton expresses that Full Circle has “taken inspiration from both San Vanelona and Port Carverton, as well as some of our favorite spots in the real world.”
Skate 2’s San Vanelona always had an edge over Port Carverton for me, as it felt a little grittier and lived in, and it looks like San Vansterdam is leaning heavily into that recognizable aesthetic. You could get a taste of it yourself soon, as Skate console playtests begin in Fall 2024.
In other gaming news, Xbox’s Phil Spencer seems keen to get an Xbox handheld out there in the world, and I spoke to two COD Zombies legends about what Black Ops 6 could hold for players in the future.