EA's highly anticipated Skate revival will require an "always on" internet connection, as confirmed in an updated FAQ on the official blog. Developer Full Circle provided a straightforward response: "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 large-scale changes, such as city modifications over time, and smaller updates like live events and other in-game activities.
The requirement for an "always on" connection means that Skate cannot be played offline, even for solo play. Full Circle emphasized that this is essential "to deliver on [its] vision of a skateboarding world." They noted that this might not come as a surprise to those who participated in their playtests, as the team initiated an Always-On Playtest in September 2024 to test the game in a continuous live environment with servers running 24/7.
Scheduled for an early access launch in 2025, Skate was first announced during EA Play way back in 2020. Since then, Full Circle has engaged the community with closed community playtests of early builds and recently introduced microtransactions. Players can use real-world money to purchase a virtual currency called San Van Bucks (SVB), which can then be spent on cosmetic items.
Full Circle is keen on ensuring a "positive experience when purchasing items from the Skate store." They acknowledged that using real money in a playtest setting is unusual but necessary to "properly assess and adjust the system before launch." The team reassured players that any money spent during the playtest would be converted to SVB and credited back to them upon the reset for the Early Access launch. They also mentioned that fluctuations in prices and other elements during this period are part of the testing process.
