EA's highly anticipated revival of Skate will necessitate a continuous internet connection, as confirmed by developer Full Circle in an updated FAQ on their official blog. The team provided a straightforward response to whether the game could be played offline, stating: "The game and city are designed to be a living, breathing massively multiplayer skateboarding sandbox that is always online and always evolving." This means players will witness both major developments, such as city changes over time, and minor updates, including live events and various in-game activities.
The "always on" feature implies that Skate cannot be enjoyed offline, even for solo play. Full Circle emphasized that this requirement aligns with their vision of creating a dynamic skateboarding world, stating, "To deliver on [its] vision of a skateboarding world, the game will always require a live connection." They noted that this should not come as a surprise to those who participated in their playtests.
Since September 2024, Full Circle has been running an Always-On Playtest, designed to evaluate the game within a continuously active live environment, with servers operational 24/7.
Although Skate is slated for an early access release in 2025, a specific launch date remains unconfirmed. The project was first announced during EA Play way back in 2020, when it was described as being in the very early stages of development. Since then, Full Circle has engaged the community through closed community playtests of early builds and recently introduced microtransactions.
Players can use real-world currency to purchase a virtual currency called San Van Bucks, which can then be used to acquire cosmetic items. Full Circle aims to refine Skate’s microtransaction system during these playtests, ensuring a "positive experience when purchasing items from the Skate store." They acknowledge that using real money in a playtest setting is unusual but essential for assessing and fine-tuning the system before the official launch. They also reassured players that any money spent during the playtest will be converted to San Van Bucks (SVB) upon the reset for the Early Access launch, with prices and other details subject to change as part of the ongoing testing process.
