'Skate 4' release date, details: Pay-to-win unlikely despite presence of microtransactions

While Electronic Arts has not yet officially revealed a specific "Skate 4" release date, the good news is that the publisher already confirmed its development. For fans of the series, here's what we know about the upcoming title.

'Skate 4' release date

EA CEO Andrew Wilson teased during the company's third-quarter earnings call that the skateboarding game will "launch soon," according to GameRadar. While the statement is a bit imprecise, it's still better than nothing, especially when one considers previous announcements about the game.

EA revealed the game bank in 2020 when it was still in its early stages of development. Two years later, the devs' work on the game must have progressed as planned, as they're even doing pre-alpha playtesting this summer.

This means Wilson's comment that the game will "launch soon" is just the publisher's way of saying that its release is imminent without saying the actual date.

'Skate 4' playtesting

Speaking about playtesting, EA is inviting fans to join the game's playtesting. "We told you we're back, and we're still working on it - but it's time for you to see what we've been up to. It's still early, but we want to get this right, and that means we want you to be a part of it," the company said.

EA wants to gather player feedback from the playtesting to ensure that the game is exactly what its players want by the time it rolls out. "As a skate insider, you have the chance to play early versions of the game and provide feedback throughout our development journey," EA added. "We need to scale access to skate gradually as development progresses to ensure a smooth experience, and that means we can't guarantee how soon you'll get to play."

There will be microtransactions in 'Skate 4'

It was revealed in a mid-July 2022 developer stream that "Skate 4" will be free-to-play. Thus players can expect microtransactions to monetize the game. However, developer Full Circle assures that there will be "no map areas locked behind a paywall" and that there will be no pay–to–win mechanics.