Skate Playtest is Already Getting Microtransactions

As noted in a recent report from Insider Gaming, Skate’s playtest will receive microtransactions in the next update. Despite not being fully out yet, players will be able to purchase San Van Bucks with real money. This can then be used to purchase cosmetic items in the game. Developer Full Circle states that the microtransactions were added to test out the function. Player progress will be reset when the full game launches and spent San Van Bucks will be refunded in the full game on the same EA account.

“To ensure we achieve these goals at Early Access we have enabled the option to purchase and use virtual currency (San Van Bucks) in our ongoing Closed Alpha playtest,” reads the official message. “Your feedback will be greatly appreciated in providing a great experience at Early Access launch.”

Full Circle general manager Dan McCullo on the game:

“We really want folks to get the most value out of their playing experience as possible, and be able to play on their favorite platforms the way that they like to play. And so skate. will be full cross-play and cross-progression, across last-gen, next-gen, and PC. We’ll take it even further, and as we’re continuing down this road, and do the same thing with mobile. We want cross-play and cross-progression on mobile. We’re pretty early on mobile, but we want to get the controls and everything to feel great. And when that’s ready, we’ll bring it all together and you’ll be able to play on whatever platform you want with your friends, and that’s going to be awesome.”

Creative director Cuz Parry:

“It’s not Skate 4. And here’s the reason: This isn’t a sequel. It’s not a remake. It’s not a reboot, a prequel; it’s not any of that. It’s not a remake or a remaster, whatever ‘re’ you can do. This is it, it’s skate. We’re in this for the long haul. That means we’re not an iterative title. There won’t be a Skate 5 through 10. We won’t be pumping them out all the time. We’re going to do this. We’re going to listen to what you guys say over the course of time, and put the features that you guys want into it. Okay, and one more time for the people in the back, it’s skate. It’s NOT Skate 4. Just skate. Period. That’s why we put a little period after it.”

Full Circle head of product management Isabelle Mocquard:

“We have the ambition to keep supporting skate. for years to come. From the very inception of skate., the development team knew we wanted to create something different. Our vision was not a game that you’d play through and ‘beat,’ but something that you can regularly come back to and discover new things. Our dream is that skate. never ends. And in order to do that, we’ll be actively supporting skate. with new gameplay elements and tweaks, new content releases and events, and lots of seasonal drops.

When we were looking at this model, we looked at versions of it out there that we liked and those we didn’t,” said Mocquard. “And we’re still continuing to explore different options, but we are taking inspiration from games like Apex Legends, or other popular titles that are free to play, where spending money is totally optional, and it’s mostly about cosmetics and convenience. With such a model, we’ll be able to keep the community united between the players who decide to spend and those who don’t. And that means that those social connections, those friendships made in-game, can flourish without splitting our audience.”

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