The development of #Skate 4 is starting to take shape

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Skate 4 doesn’t look much like some of the pre-alpha footage that leaked earlier this week. But looks can be deceiving, and fans of the series immediately began to recognize the fun DNA that has always made the series work. And so are those who played it.

This is Skate 4 pre-alpha footage. This matches what I’ve heard from multiple people about where the game is located. They’re trying to get the right feel, which is probably the most important aspect of a skate game. https://t.co/AXNV2Agk6z pic.twitter.com/nUINhghxLg

— Jeff Grubb (@JeffGrubb) Apr 20, 2022

In addition to verifying the pre-alpha visuals, I’ve also heard some results from recent playtests for the game. The big advantage is that Skate 4 is already a lot of fun. Anyone who walks away from the game agrees that it’s already a great skate game. But on top of that, EA has already implemented some important features.

Those core elements include extensive customization features. Several people have told me that the Skate development team is going for something that is in line with modern multiplayer games. Remember Forza’s robust customization tools – so even if you drive the same car as everyone else, yours can stand out. EA probably seems to rely heavily on user-generated content for these tweaks – but I’ll speculate it may also have premium skins that you can buy.

And what’s the point of those adjustments? Well, that’s the other standout feature of early playtests: community-free building/skating. Players can set up a server and then anyone on that server can start adding and removing skatepark elements. The idea is to hang out with your friends and just perform tricks. And if you come up with a “wouldn’t it be cool if…” scenario, someone can immediately start setting that up for everyone to play with.

Of course, players also have a fun open-world city to explore. In fact, EA uses “Fun City” as the name for the location of Skate 4. As you skate through this wide open space, you come across several missions. Those include races, doing weird things off your board, or going through a list of tricks.

But even with all these features nicely in place, Skate 4 is still a long way off. EA gives the development team time to experiment and create prototypes. That hope with the publisher is that those efforts will yield something special for Skate fans.

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This post The development of #Skate 4 is starting to take shape

was original published at “https://venturebeat.com/2022/04/22/skate-4s-development-is-beginning-to-take-shape/”