Skate 4 devs have ‘removed almost every possible barrier’ for new players

Skate 4 developer, Full Circle, wants to make the latest entry in the long-running skateboarding series as accessible as possible to new players, according to the franchise’s Global Community Manager.

Speaking to Dot Esports at Summer Game Fest 2023’s Play Days event, Skate’s Global Community Manager, Jeff Braddock, explained that “the team has removed almost every possible barrier for entry” with the upcoming Skate 4 (known officially as just skate). “We want to do what’s right for the franchise and our players,” Braddock told us, going on to explain that being “authentic with skateboarding” while also emphasizing the “fun” of the sport is also key for the development team.

“We want to do the best Skate game for our community and bring in everybody else that maybe didn’t play 1, 2, 3,” Braddock said. “We want them to find different ways of creating fun.”

While we didn’t get a look at Skate 4 during the Summer Game Fest showcase on June 8, a lucky few have already been invited to closed playtests for the game. According to Braddock, these are just the tip of the iceberg as Full Circle plans to host further closed tests later this year, even rolling them out to more regions in the future. Previous playtests have been available in North America and Europe.

Skate 4 currently doesn’t have a release date and Braddock says the team is “not there yet” when it comes to sharing more on exactly what this long-awaited new entry might look like. But, as someone who has struggled to get to grips with the series, I’m certainly looking forward to an easier ride this time around.