Skate Game Demands Constant Internet Connection

EA's highly anticipated revival of Skate will require players to maintain an "always on" internet connection. This was confirmed in an updated FAQ on the official blog by developer Full Circle, who stated: "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 significant changes to the city over time and smaller, dynamic in-game events and activities.

An "always on" requirement means that Skate cannot be played offline, even for those who prefer solo play. Full Circle emphasizes that this connection is essential "to deliver on [its] vision of a skateboarding world." The developer noted that this should not come as a surprise to those who participated in their playtests, as the team initiated an Always-On Playtest in September 2024 to assess the game in a continuously live environment with servers running 24/7.

Scheduled for an early access launch in 2025, Skate has been in development since its announcement at EA Play in 2020. Throughout this period, Full Circle has engaged the community with closed community playtests and recently introduced microtransactions. Players can use real-world money to purchase a virtual currency called San Van Bucks (SVB), which can then be used to acquire cosmetic items.

Full Circle aims to ensure a "positive experience when purchasing items from the Skate store" and acknowledges that using real money during playtests is unusual but necessary to refine the system before the official launch. They assure players that any money spent during playtesting will be returned in SVB when the game resets for the Early Access launch, and they explained that fluctuations in prices and other changes are part of the testing process.