EA's eagerly awaited revival of Skate will mandate an "always on" internet connection, as confirmed by developer Full Circle in an updated FAQ on their official blog. The developer stated a straightforward "No" to offline play, explaining that the game is designed as a "living, breathing massively multiplayer skateboarding sandbox" that is "always online and always evolving." This continuous online environment will feature evolving cityscapes, live events, and various in-game activities.
The "always on" requirement ensures that even solo players must remain connected to the internet to fully experience Full Circle's vision of a dynamic skateboarding world. This shouldn't come as a surprise to those who participated in the playtests, as Full Circle noted, "That is probably not much of a surprise if you’ve been in our playtest."
In September 2024, the team initiated the Always-On Playtest, a new phase aimed at testing the game in a persistent live environment with servers running 24/7.
While Skate's early access is slated for 2025, with no specific date announced yet, the project was first unveiled during EA Play way back in 2020. Since then, Full Circle has engaged the community through closed community playtests of early builds and recently introduced microtransactions.
Players can now use real-world currency to purchase a virtual currency called San Van Bucks (SVB), which can be used to acquire cosmetic items. Full Circle aims to refine Skate’s microtransaction system during these playtests to ensure a "positive experience when purchasing items from the Skate store."
"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," the team explained. They also assured players that any money spent during the playtest would be converted into SVB upon the reset for the Early Access launch, and fluctuations in prices and other elements are part of the testing process.
