Skate 4 multiplayer will include a “collaborative online free mode” that will allow players to build skate parks together, according to journalist and insider Jeff Grubb. The upcoming skateboarding game by EA will be the first new entry in the Skate franchise since Skate 3 in 2010, and it is reportedly in pre-alpha.
What will Skate 4 multiplayer online free mode be like?
Jeff Grubb initially revealed pre-alpha footage of Skate 4 through a tweet (posted below) on April 20, where he said that the developer is doing its best to “get the feel right.” In several self-replies to that tweet, he elaborates further, saying that “the emphasis is on the fluidity of the animation” and that EA is using the Respawn method of going through numerous prototype iterations during production.
This is Skate 4 pre-alpha footage. This is in line with what I've heard about where the game is at from multiple people. They're trying to get the feel right, which is probably the most important aspect of a Skate game. https://t.co/AXNV2Agk6z pic.twitter.com/nUINhghxLg
— Grubb (@JeffGrubb) April 20, 2022
The following day, Grubb discussed the pre-alpha tests and Skate 4 multiplayer in further detail on episode 43 of his GrubbSnax podcast on Giantbomb. After reporting that those who participated in the tests were “very impressed with the way it feels,” he explains (at the 4:04 mark of the episode, as transcribed by GR) how EA hopes to modernize the Skate series with customization options akin to other online multiplayer games:
“The two big things I wanted to bring up about Skate 4, about what you should expect from it as a Skate fan or just a fan of modern games. They are going to take some modern stuff, specifically the kind of stuff you might see in a Forza game or a lot of modern online multiplayer games where you are going to have a lot of customization options for your character, a lot of skins, skins for your board…
There’s gonna be a lot of user-generated content where you could just wrap up your board with the crazy stuff that the community is making and stuff like that.”
Grubb continues on, revealing how the Skate 4 multiplayer free skate mode will allow friends to shape a skate park to their liking on the fly:
“And where that stuff should shine is the other side of this which is sort of this collaborative online free skate mode that does sound very good.
This is a mode where you are hanging out with your friends or anyone else who’s gonna hop onto the server. And then anyone on this server can say, ‘Hey, does anyone want to try to lay down some tricks over here with me on this thing?’. And then someone can lay down the skate park stuff required to do that in real time with everyone else right there and just say, okay, here’s the ramp we need to make this happen…
People can work together to make these parks all at the same time, you can add stuff, delete stuff on the fly.”
Skate 4 does not have a release date yet. Its release platforms will likely be PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Nintendo Switch, Google Stadia, and EA Origin, according to the reveal trailer back in 2019, but this might change when more information on the game is revealed by EA.
In other news, Halo Infinite Season 2’s multiplayer modes including King of the Hill, Land Grab, and Last Spartan Standing have been explained by the developers. Also, a new Tales from the Borderlands game has been revealed at PAX East.
