''Skate'' (stylized as ''skate.'') is a series of

extreme sports game A sports video game is a video game that simulates the practice of sports. Most sports have been recreated with video games, including team sports, track and field, extreme sports, and combat sports. Some games emphasize playing the sport (such ...

s primarily developed and published by

Electronic Arts Electronic Arts Inc. (EA) is an American video game company headquartered in Redwood City, California. Founded in May 1982 by former Apple Inc., Apple employee Trip Hawkins, the company was a pioneer of the early home computer game industry ...

. The first three mainline games in the series were developed by

EA Black Box EA Black Box (formerly Black Box Games) was a video game developer based in Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada, founded in 1998 by former employees of Radical Entertainment and later acquired by Electronic Arts (EA). The developers are primarily k ...

. After EA Black Box was shut down in 2013, the franchise was put on hiatus until the announcement of a fourth entry in the series in 2020.

Overview

The ''Skate'' series distinguishes itself from other

skateboarding Skateboarding is an extreme sport, action sport that involves riding and Skateboarding trick, performing tricks using a skateboard, as well as a recreational activity, an art form, an entertainment industry Profession, job, and a method of tr ...

video games with its unique control system, called "Flick-it", in which players execute tricks with brief, rapid movements of either or both

analog stick An analog stick (analogue stick in British English), also known as a control stick, thumbstick or joystick, is an input method designed for video games that translates thumb movement into directional control. It consists of a protruding stick mo ...

s of a twin-stick

gamepad A gamepad is a type of video game controller held in two hands, where the fingers (especially thumbs) are used to provide input. They are typically the main input device for video game consoles. Features Some common additions to the standar ...

. Players assume the role of a customizable skater and freely explore a fictional city in an

open world In video games, an open world is a virtual world in which the Gamer, player can approach objectives freely, as opposed to a world with more linear and structured gameplay. Notable games in this category include ''The Legend of Zelda (video game ...

setting, completing diverse and increasingly difficult challenges while being filmed by cameraman

Giovanni Reda Giovanni Luigi Reda (born February 6, 1974) is a photographer, videographer, director and skate personality internationally recognized for his work in skateboarding. Early life Reda is from Mill Basin, Brooklyn, and went to college in Atlant ...

to unlock new areas, obtain new cosmetics and eventually rise to stardom. Along the way, they can encounter, compete with and even play as famous real-life skaters, including

Danny Way Danny Way (born April 15, 1974) is an American professional Skateboarding, skateboarder. He was awarded Thrasher (magazine), ''Thrasher'' magazine's "Skater of the Year" award twice. He is known for extreme stunts, such as jumping into a skatebo ...

, Terry Kennedy and

Rob Dyrdek Robert Stanley Dyrdek (born June 28, 1974) is an American entrepreneur, actor, producer, reality TV personality, and former professional skateboarder. He is best known for his roles in the MTV reality and variety shows '' Rob & Big'', '' Rob D ...

, and must eventually choose from among several authentic licensed skateboard gear firms to strike an endorsement with for exclusive skateboard parts and gear. Players can make use of session markers to quickly travel to or return to a location of their choosing. A special injury system called the "Hall of Meat" tracks injuries sustained during wipeouts, particularly

broken bone A bone fracture (abbreviated FRX or Fx, Fx, or #) is a medical condition in which there is a partial or complete break in the continuity of any bone in the body. In more severe cases, the bone may be broken into several fragments, known as a ''c ...

s, which is key to completing certain challenges.

Games

The ''Skate'' series began during the

seventh generation of video game consoles The seventh generation of home video game consoles began on November 22, 2005, with the release of Microsoft's Xbox 360 home console. This was followed by the release of Sony's PlayStation 3 on November 17, 2006, and Nintendo's Wii on November ...

, with three major installments released on

Xbox 360 The Xbox 360 is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. As the successor to the Xbox (console), original Xbox, it is the second console in the Xbox#Consoles, Xbox series. It was officially unveiled on MTV on May 12, 2005, with detail ...

PlayStation 3 The PlayStation 3 (PS3) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE). It is the successor to the PlayStation 2, and both are part of the PlayStation brand of consoles. The PS3 was first released on ...

, and one

spin-off Spin-off, Spin Off, Spin-Off, or Spinoff may refer to: Entertainment and media *Spinoff (media), a media work derived from an existing work *''The Spinoff'', a New Zealand current affairs magazine * ''Spin Off'' (Canadian game show), a 2013 Canad ...

released on that generation's Nintendo platforms, leveraging their motion controls to implement the series' signature "Flick-it" controls. All of these four games were released annually towards the end of the 2000s, before the series went on hiatus.

''Skate'' (2007)

The first game in the ''Skate'' series was released in 2007 on PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and

mobile phones A mobile phone or cell phone is a portable telephone that allows users to make and receive calls over a radio frequency link while moving within a designated telephone service area, unlike fixed-location phones ( landline phones). This radio ...

. It is set in the fictional city of San Vanelona, a combination of

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

Vancouver Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...

and

Barcelona Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...

and follows the journey of an ordinary skater rising to fame after a devastating accident.

''Skate It''

Released in 2008, this spin-off, targeting the

Wii The Wii ( ) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Nintendo. It was released on November 19, 2006, in North America, and in December 2006 for most other regions of the world. It is Nintendo's fifth major home game console, f ...

Nintendo DS The is a foldable handheld game console produced by Nintendo, released globally across 2004 and 2005. The DS, an initialism for "Developers' System" or "Dual Screen", introduced distinctive new features to handheld games: two LCD screens worki ...

and

iOS Ios, Io or Nio (, ; ; locally Nios, Νιός) is a Greek island in the Cyclades group in the Aegean Sea. Ios is a hilly island with cliffs down to the sea on most sides. It is situated halfway between Naxos and Santorini. It is about long an ...

, takes advantage of their

motion controls In computing, a motion controller is a type of input device that uses accelerometers, gyroscopes, cameras, or other sensors to track motion. Motion controllers see use as game controllers, for virtual reality and other simulation purposes, and ...

to implement the series' "Flick-it" control system and is also set between ''Skate'' and the then-upcoming ''Skate 2''. An earthquake severely damages San Vanelona and a new person skates through the ruins of the city to gain fame, before traveling to other real-life cities in

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

and

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

to prove their skills.

''Skate 2''

The sequel to ''Skate'', released in 2009, in which the main protagonist is freed from jail after the earthquake shaken San Vanelona is rebuilt by MongoCorp into a new city where skateboarding is illegal. They must once again develop mastery of skating while evading authorities determined to crack down on such activity.

''Skate 3''

The third installment of ''Skate'' was released in 2010 as a major departure from prior installments with its new setting in the city of Port Carverton and an unprecedented increase of freedom. The player must once again skate to stardom after a dangerous stunt in the city goes wrong, costing them a lucrative endorsement deal.

''Skate'' (2025)

Over a decade after the release of ''Skate 3'', Electronic Arts announced that a fourth installment of ''Skate'' was in development. EA established Full Circle, a new studio in Vancouver, British Columbia, to lead its development. The studio is led by Daniel McCulloch, and includes Deran Chung and Cuz Parry, who had created the original ''Skate'' games. In late August 2021, Electronic Arts confirmed that the game will at least be available on

Microsoft Windows Windows is a Product lining, product line of Proprietary software, proprietary graphical user interface, graphical operating systems developed and marketed by Microsoft. It is grouped into families and subfamilies that cater to particular sec ...

and

macOS macOS, previously OS X and originally Mac OS X, is a Unix, Unix-based operating system developed and marketed by Apple Inc., Apple since 2001. It is the current operating system for Apple's Mac (computer), Mac computers. With ...

for the first time ever in the series' history, and will also target unspecified PlayStation and Xbox consoles, as well as mobile platforms. In July 2022, the game was announced as ''Skate'', stylized as ''skate.'' as the original game. The new ''Skate'' will be a free-to-play title, and will be set in a new city known as San Vansterdam. The game is expected to launch in early access in 2025. As of September 2024, it is in the playtesting stage via EA's playtesting service.

References

External links

* {{Skate Electronic Arts franchises Video game franchises introduced in 2007 Sports video games by series Extreme sports video games Video game franchises