Skate Season 3 Monetizes Early Access to New Map

I’ve stopped logging into skate. every day, opting to play for around an hour or two each week. It’s not that I necessarily had issues with where the game was going, but I do feel like the game’s live-service nature is making it harder to stay invested over the long run. I’ve put just over 80 hours into the game, spending a total of $10. Not a bad deal. With skate. Season 3 on the way, the devs are giving us a look at what’s ahead, and one choice is upsetting some players online. Here’s some background about why a new map for skate. is making some players mad about where the game is heading.

In a recent news article from the devs, EA says, “We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again: We’re building skate. with a long-term vision in mind. This Early Access period is a huge part of that. It gives us the space to listen, learn, tweak, and test – over and over – until we get things just right.” I would argue they’re doing a good job at trying new events and in-game offerings to try to diversify the experience. The issue is that it’s simply not resulting in as rich an experience as the original games in the franchise. One could argue all day about microtransactions, but for as wonderful as this game feels, it’s baffling to me that skate. is technically an experience you can play for free, should you choose.

The issue is whether or not you can fight off the temptation to buy things in-game, like passes to additional content or cosmetic items. One thing the team at EA said they would never do is lock environments or maps behind a paywall. Well, a new addition to skate. Season 3 is upsetting some players because, while technically the team isn’t going back on their word, a new map is getting released early for paid players. The Isle of Gram is returning to the game from the tutorial experience, but this time the devs are signaling that, “as an added benefit for our skate.Pass Premium holders, they will get first dibs to skate Grom before anyone else.”

I do think the team at EA is listening to fans, adding things like branded items into skate.Pass and cosmetic items like clothing or boards are purchasable on their own rather than in blind boxes. That said, holding back the first major map expansion for paid players for an entire month does feel like a rough call for a live-service game. Half of the battle is keeping players happy and engaged, and a move like this does less to incentivize paying for a skate.Pass and more to just turn folks off from the overall direction of the game. Despite offering the roadmap in the image above, I worry this will continue to alienate the already finite number of people interested in the game.

Few live-service games really take off for massive popularity and stay that way. Overwatch 2 became an afterthought for a long time before pivoting a few things to win back players, including renaming the game itself. I think skate. is still an IP worth following and believing in, and I think EA does as well. The question is whether the money they need to make from it as a free-to-play live service experience doesn’t creep into the player experience to distracting levels. From microtransactions to locking the new map behind a paywall for an entire month, I’d argue we’re past the point of concern.

Let us know if you’re still playing skate., or if you’re waiting for more decisions in the right direction to drop in.